SASKATOON -- This is a developing story. Check back throughout the day for the latest on COVID-19 in Saskatoon and area.
6:00 p.m. - Concerns about possible transmission of COVID-19 have led to changes for Saskatchewan Polytechnic and the University of Regina nursing students.
"The (nursing) program has suspended all practice education experiences in the clinical setting throughout Saskatchewan," Everett Dorma, a spokesperson at the U of R told CTV News in an email.
5:36 p.m. - Starting Friday, to help protect Saskatoon Transit employees from the virus fares will be suspended to limit interactions with drivers and other workers.
Another significant change for bus riders is that they will board the bus using the rear doors.
4:41 p.m. - For the first time in its history, the Canadian Light Source in Saskatoon has closed its doors because of COVID-19.
Scientists remain inside, however, helping to lead the world in research to fight the pandemic.
"The structures of these things are similar," CEO Rob Lamb said. “It's the subtleties within the structure of a particular molecule that makes it lethal."
4:17 p.m. - Terri Peterson, practice leader and counsellor of the Student Wellness Centre at the University of Saskatchewan, is advising people to stay virtually connected – and remember the greater goal of social distancing.
"Humans are social creatures. We need to feel connected for our health, and to help us understand who we are. It’s important for people to stay connected, and there’s a variety of ways to do that — even in isolation," she says.
3:32 p.m. - Saskatoon City Council approved recommendations to suspend utility disconnections and late payment charges on all utility accounts until Sept. 30 to help customers who may not be able to afford to pay their bill during the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition, Saskatoon Transit will suspend fares indefinitely.
3:08 p.m. - The President of the Saskatchewan Medical Association says he received a positive test for COVID-19 on Wednesday evening.
“I attended a curling bonspiel held March 11-14 in Edmonton,” Dr. Allan Woo wrote in an SMA release. “This bonspiel is an annual event that usually attracts 50-60 physicians from Western Canada. I believe I contracted the COVID-19 virus at this bonspiel.”
2:00 p.m. - There are four new presumptive positive cases of COVID-19 in Saskatchewan, according to an update on the province's coronavirus website on Thursday.
1:45 p.m. - A Saskatoon taxi company said it has seen a significant drop in calls due to school and business closures.
“Those calls are just about all gone now. We are relying on the general public for any income that we get. All the extras are done, we’re running pretty thin,” said Dale Gallant, a driver with Riide.
1:06 p.m - The union representing more than 130 Legal Aid lawyers and administrative staff in Saskatchewan is asking the federal and provincial governments to release as many "low-risk" inmates as possible from jails and prisons to slow the spread of COVID-19.
12:05 p.m. - Prairieland Park said today that it will restrict public access to limit the spread of COVID-19. The offices there and the entire World Trade Center Saskatoon Trade and Convention Center are now closed to the public.
11:03 a.m. - Saskatoon city administration recommends suspending utility disconnections and late payment charges on all utility accounts until Sept. 30., in a report that will be considered at Thursday’s Special Meeting of Council.
Another recommendation is to give property owners until Sept. 30 to pay their property tax bill without incurring any penalties on their 2020 taxes.
10:16 a.m. - A Saskatoon business owner is closing to in-person traffic after a visit from an "irresponsible" customer on Wednesday.
"She had traveled with 11 other people who had been feeling sick but she was okay not showing any symptoms so she thought it was fine to go out and pick up things," Rheanne Haines, who owns the Sangster's Health Centre location in Lawson Heights Mall, said.
10:00 a.m. - The City of Saskatoon has scheduled a special meeting of City Council for today at noon which will focus on the city's response to COVID-19.
