Saskatchewan outlines plan to reopen economy starting May 4

By The Canadian Press

Posted April 23, 2020 4:00 am.

Last Updated April 23, 2020 1:42 pm.

This article is more than 5 years old.

Ontario is still formulating a plan to reopen the economy, as Saskatchewan unveiled Thursday which businesses closed due to the coronavirus will be allowed to reopen next month.

Premier Doug Ford continues to stress the complexity and extensive planning that is going to be necessary before any portion of the province’s economy reopens.

Although Ford hasn’t detailed any specifics at this point, he said that talks are on-going.

He also said the reopening process will be slow and gradual to guard against triggering a second wave of infection.

“There’s never going to be one day that we just open up the economy. We are going to open it up with a trickle and just let it flow from there and constantly measure,” Ford said.

The premier also said Education Minister Stephen Lecce will have a significant announcement in the coming days about schools.

“It will hopefully give students and teachers and parents some certainty moving forward,” Ford said.

Meanwhile, Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe announced in a televised address a five-phase plan on how businesses and services will be permitted to open their doors again.

Dentist offices, hairdressers, golf courses and retail stores could be allowed to reopen starting in May under the plan.

Premier Scott Moe has said the number of COVID-19 cases will be monitored throughout each phase and the government will only move ahead if the infection rate stays low. In a televised speech Wednesday night, he said health officials are looking to increase testing and contact tracing.

So far, Saskatchewan has reported 326 cases of COVID-19 and four deaths.

Restrictions are to lift first for medical services such as dentists, optometrists and physical therapy on May 4. That also applies to fishing and boat launches.

Golf courses could be allowed to reopen on May 15, followed on May 19 by retail shops that sell clothing, flowers, books, sporting goods and toys.

The government says hairdressers, barbers, massage therapists, and acupuncturists could also begin seeing clients again on that day, but employees working directly with customers would have to wear masks.

“I know that some will be concerned that this is far too soon, that reopening businesses in the coming weeks could increase the spread of COVID-19,” said Moe. “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.”

The plan says businesses would be expected to maintain strict cleanliness standards as well as physical distancing. Operators would be asked to screen clients and wear masks and gloves if those measures were not possible.

Next, officials would consider lifting restrictions on indoor and outdoor recreational and entertainment facilities and bumping up the size of allowable gatherings to 30 people from the current 10.

The final phase of the plan includes lifting restrictions on crowd sizes, visits to long-term care facilities and non-essential travel. Moe has already said those will stay put for some time.

The government’s plan doesn’t provide a timeline for when gyms might be allowed to operate or when daycare capacity might be increased.

Nor does it give a time frame for food services and restaurants to reopen, but when they do, they will be expected to operate at half their capacity

Moe says restrictions that limit visits to long-term care homes, large crowds, and non-essential travel will stay in place because they pose a high-risk of spreading the virus.