It’s not normal, but it’s a start; the BC Government has announced plans to gradually reopen the economy with restrictions in place, starting in the middle of May.
The province has come out with a four-phase reopening plan, saying we are currently in phase one and by “mid May” we will be in phase two.
Businesses that will be able to reopen include restaurants, pubs and cafes, as well as personal service establishments like hair salons and tattoo parlors. Dentistry, physiotherapy and other medical-related services, included elective surgeries, will largely be able to resume.
Parks, beaches and other outdoors spaces will also be able to reopen this month, and provincial parks will be open for day-use in time for the Victoria Day long weekend. Recreational sports with limited contact will also be able to resume through the spring and summer.
Camping at provincial parks, meanwhile, will not be reopened until June. That’s part of phase three of reopening the province’s economy, which will also include hotels and resorts (June), domestic movie productions (June and July) and “select entertainment” like movie theatres and the symphony (July).
The BC Legislature will also be resuming later this spring.
By September, post-secondary schools are expected to be reopened with a mix of in-class and online learning, which could be expanded greater depending on the situation with this pandemic. K-12 schools are also expected to re-open in September, with some partial in-class learning this June.
Meanwhile, the province says there is still no timeline to reopen casinos, nightclubs and bars, saying doing so will be more complicated.
There is no timeline to lift the limit on gathering sizes from 50 people, and larger events like concerts and conventions, which will be phase four of reopening, are not expected to resume until a vaccine is widely available for COVID-19.
Premier John Horgan says the province is advising people to still “keep their circles small,” and says the size of a person’s circle will depend on their age, their health, their personal comfort levels and other factors. Health officials are recommending keeping gatherings to 2-6 people.
Horgan reiterates there will be “zero tolerance” for working while sick, to limit the spread of COVID-19. And, as people have been asked for the past two months, people are still being asked to stay home from all social gatherings and all public places if they have symptoms of a cold, of a flu or of the novel coronavirus.
The Premier also says the best course of action is to still stay close to home for the weeks ahead, despite these new measures to reopen.
More to come. Listen to Radio NL 610 AM for more details and watch this story for updates.
