Here's where your province stands on reopening after coronavirus

As the global economy continues to feel the incredible impact of the coronavirus, Canadian provinces have been hard at work, drawing up plans for when their economy will be able to reopen without reigniting a second wave of the contagion.

Below is a list of the provinces, starting with those that will open first to the ones that have elected to delay for one reason or another.

New Brunswick

New Brunswick Premier Blaine Higgs has loosened some of the province’s distancing measures on April 24 after its seventh day with no new coronavirus cases.

Parks and beaches have been reopened, golf courses are now back in business, universities and colleges can open parts of their campuses for students in certain circumstances, and religious services can be held again as long as they are outdoors and people remain in their vehicles. Fishing and hunting are also allowed. Households are permitted to socialize, but only with one other house at a time.

The second stage of phased strategy could begin within two-to-four weeks, which would include opening daycares, offices, restaurants, ATV trails, and campgrounds. Certain elective surgeries would also be permitted.

New Brunswick has 118 coronavirus cases, with 114 recoveries and 0 fatalities.

Prince Edward Island

Prince Edward Island Premier Dennis King announced a four-phase strategy to open the economy, with the approval of medical professionals. The first phase is to be implemented May 1.

According to CTV News, phase one of easing in the province includes resuming elective surgeries, reopening medical services including physiotherapists, optometrists and chiropractors. Construction services, and child care for essential service workers will also come back. Non-contact outdoor recreational activities such as hiking, cycling, golfing, shooting ranges, fishing and boating are also allowed.

The second phase will see some retail businesses reopen, starting May 22.

Gatherings are limited to five people, but they can now include members from different households.

Prince Edward Island has 27 coronavirus cases, 24 recoveries and 0 fatalities.

Saskatchewan

Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe has announced that the first phase in a five-phase strategy will be implemented on May 4, with the second phase beginning May 19. The dates for the following three phases have not yet been determined.

“We have to find the middle ground that continues to keep our case numbers low and keep Saskatchewan people safe while at the same time allowing for businesses to reopen and Saskatchewan people to get back to work,” Moe said.

“It’s a plan that will be conducted in phases and we will carefully monitor transmission and other factors during each of those phases and we will adjust the plan if required.”

Moe has made it a point to express that it is okay to see family and friends, as long as the proper precautions are taken.

“Is it OK for close friends, family or a neighbour to come over and maybe have a barbecue in your backyard? I think it is,” Moe said.

“I have a son that I haven’t seen for six weeks. I’d love to have a barbecue with him and cook a locally-grown and processed steak sooner rather than later, and I think we will.”

Saskatchewan has 383 coronavirus cases, with 291 recoveries and 6 fatalities.

Quebec

Quebec Premier François Legault has decided to reopen the economy in a way that will not reignite the pandemic. “Our challenge is to gradually restart the economy without restarting the pandemic,” he said.

“The idea is to gradually add workers and analyze the effect on the contagion.”

“I’m hopeful that the sooner we restart the economy, the sooner we’ll be back to where we were.”

“I know that these have been terrible weeks,” he said. “It has been hell financially.”

The majority of businesses will be allowed to reopen May 4, though shopping centers will remain closed until further notice. Companies operating in construction and manufacturing will be allowed to reopen May 11.

Quebec has 26,594 coronavirus cases, with 6,048 recoveries and 1,761 fatalities.

Manitoba

Manitoba Premier Brian Pallister has announced that he will introduce a multi-phased strategy in opening the economy, beginning May 4. The second phase is expected to open June 1, which would expand social gatherings.

“Today is good news, and it’s good news because of you,” Premier Brian Pallister said on Wednesday.

Pallister said it was the citizens of Manitoba who “stuck to the fundamentals” that kept the Covid-19 curve flat in the province.

“[Coronavirus is] nefarious, sneaky and dangerous and we have to stand up to it.”

“We want to be the first to have our economy up and functioning,” Pallister said Tuesday.

“We all want to get back to [normal], but we want to do it safely.”

Manitoba has 274 coronavirus cases, with 213 recoveries and 6 fatalities.

Ontario

Ontario Premier Doug Ford has come up with a three-step plan in an effort to reopen the economy.

Stage 1

• Businesses that can immediately meet or modify operations to meet public health guidance and occupational health and safety, for instance through curbside pick-up or delivery.
• Open some outdoor spaces like parks.
• Allow for a greater number of individuals to attend some events, like funerals.
• Hospitals begin to offer some non-urgent scheduled surgeries and other services.
• Continued protections for vulnerable populations and practice of physical distancing.

Stage 2

• Open more workplaces “based on risk assessments.” This could include service industries and additional offices, as well as retail.
• Open more outdoor spaces and allow some larger public gatherings.
• Continued protections for vulnerable populations and continued practice of physical distancing.

Stage 3

• Open all workplaces “responsibly.”
• Further relaxing restrictions on public gatherings.
• Continued restrictions on large public gatherings, including concerts and sporting events until the “foreseeable future.”
• Continued protections for vulnerable populations and continued practice of physical distancing.

“This is a roadmap, it’s not a calendar,” Premier Doug Ford said.

“We’re going to continue working hard and I just encourage everyone please continue following the protocols. We’ve come so far with this fight and we don’t want to give up.”

“Until we get a vaccine for this virus, and it’s a little ways off, I don’t think it’s going to be one hundred percent normal. I don’t think it will ever go back to where it was before because our lives have changed,” Ford said.

“The quicker we can get this flattening of the curve to go south, then we can get back to semi-normal.”

The details for when this plan will be implemented will be released “as soon as it’s available.”

Ontario has 15,728 cases, with 9,612 recoveries and 996 fatalities.

Alberta

Alberta Premier Jason Kenney is speaking on Thursday evening about when the economy will get back to normal; he is “encouraged” at the prospect of being able to begin the process in May.

“Alberta has kept more things open and active than I believe any other province,” he said, “For example, Quebec shut down all of their manufacturing and all of their construction industries. We’ve kept them open in Alberta.

“Other provinces have gone to a maximum of two people gathering in some cases. We allow 15 people to gather. So we have taken more of what I would call a risk-based approach and a less prescriptive approach than other provinces.”

Alberta has the added challenge of recent flooding.

Though there are plans for a phased plan to relaunch the economy, Kenney made a point to stress the importance that Albertans are “a ways off from returning to our normal way of life.”

Alberta has 5,165 cases, with 1,953 recoveries and 87 deaths.

British Columbia

British Columbia Premier John Horgan has extended the stay-at-home order for another two weeks, as the number of coronavirus cases continue to rise.

Horgan said the plan for reopening the province will be announced some time next week, but added that it will include a “phased-in approach.” Unlike several provinces, some businesses in BC were never ordered to shutter its doors.

“It’ll be different in British Columbia, because unlike other provinces, we resisted the call for a full lockdown of our economy and instead, adopted a different approach,” said Horgan.

“The approach in British Columbia was to focus on how could we keep sectors operating safely, rather than shutting them down until such time as we could open them up again.”

Horgan was unwilling to set a date for when the plan will be implemented, saying, “We are not there yet. Poll after poll and everybody I've talked to says, let's not give up the gains we've made.”

British Columbia has 2,087 coronavirus cases, with 1,309 recoveries and 109 fatalities.

Nova Scotia

Nova Scotia Premier Stephen McNeil has given no word on when the economy can be expected to open.

Dr. Robert Strang, Nova Scotia’s chief medical officer of health, shared on April 23 that there were currently no immediate plans to lift any Covid-19 restrictions. He said the province was working on a plan to gradually lift the restrictions, which will be discussed with McNeil this week.

All non-essential businesses remain closed, with the essential operations listed on their website.

Nova Scotia has 935 coronavirus cases, with 529 recoveries and 28 fatalities.

Newfoundland and Labrador

Newfoundland Premier Dwight Ball said that it is not yet time to reopen the economy, despite the province having not reported any new coronavirus cases in the last nine days.

All non-essential businesses remain closed, with no date in sight for when the businesses or social gatherings will be able to resume.

Newfoundland has 258 coronavirus cases, with 225 recoveries and 3 fatalities.

Yukon

Yukon Premier Sandy Silver and chief medical officer Dr. Brendan Hanley mentioned on April 24 that the process of developing a reopening strategy for the territory is in the works, but will not be available for another several weeks.

All non-essential businesses remain closed.

Yukon has 11 coronavirus cases, with 8 recoveries and 0 fatalities.

Northwest Territories

Northwest Territories Premier Caroline Cochrane has confirmed that all five cases are now in recovery, but health officials have said Covid-19 restrictions in the territory will remain for at least another month.

Dr. Kami Kandola, the NWT’s chief public health officer, said easing restrictions could only be considered after increased testing has become available.

Once this happens, Kandola said he would allow campgrounds, parks and non-essential businesses to reopen. Mass gatherings will be the last thing she allows to return.

The Northwest Territories have 5 coronavirus cases, with all of them in recovery.

Nunavut

Nunavut Premier Joe Savikataaq has reported one case of the coronavirus.

The government in Nunavut has extended the public health emergency measure in the territory to May 14. This means that restrictions on public gatherings and workplaces will continue until that time.