The Saskatchewan government announced this morning that the Provincial Command through the Provincial Emergency Operations Centre (PEOC) is streamlining the emergency management response to COVID-19. 

"This is being done to better coordinate the pandemic response between government ministries and staff, ensure the right resources are in the right place at the right time and provide administrative support so health care workers can focus their efforts on providing the best possible care to patients," Premier Scott Moe said.   

"Responsibility for public health recommendations and orders will continue to be managed by the Chief Medical Health Officer Dr. Shahab." 

The government says the Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency’s PEOC can help coordinate and deploy emergency resources and has ties to other federal, provincial and territorial agencies for support and resources. 

The Provincial Command will be led by a joint management team of Marlo Pritchard, President of the Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency, Scott Livingstone, Chief Executive Officer of the Saskatchewan Health Authority and Max Hendricks, Deputy Minister of Health. 

The PEOC will have the following responsibilities in response to COVID-19 effective immediately: 

  • Ongoing inventory management of staffing across the healthcare system 
  • Coordination and deployment of provincial supports and activities across multiple sectors 

The PEOC will also give out critical updates to the public and create normalized briefings through media availability. 

"This structure has worked extremely well during other provincial emergencies," Pritchard said. "The pressures in our healthcare system as a result of COVID-19 has demanded all the resources of the SHA, and now require the resources of the entire province through Provincial Command." 

The government is anticipating that Provincial Command will be operating throughout the duration of the provincial emergency order, which was declared on Sept. 13.