OTTAWA —
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and the premiers have released “a set of common principles for restarting the Canadian economy.”
With some provinces beginning to plan and execute their gradual loosening of restrictions, the guidelines include the criteria and measures needed to be in place before steps can be taken to begin reopening businesses and schools.
They include:
- containing COVID-19 transmission to a level the health system can manage;
- ensuring sufficient capacity is in place to test, trace and isolate the virus so when, for example, someone around you tests positive, you will be notified quickly so you can isolate;
- expanding the health system’s ability to support both COVID-19 and non COVID-19 patients;
- ensuring there are additional protections in place for vulnerable groups, communities, and key populations such as long-term care homes and in jails or shelters;
- supporting the monitoring of workplace protocols are in place to prevent the spread of COVID-19 when people do return to their jobs;
- easing restrictions on non-essential travel in a “co-ordinated manner;” and,
- seeing to it that communities are able to manage localized outbreaks, including within schools or on public transit.
The statement makes note that because the pandemic’s impact and caseload is different in each province and territory, each region will “take different steps at different times in order to ease restrictions, reflecting the specific circumstances in each jurisdiction.”
Earlier Tuesday Trudeau said those shared principles on restarting the economy were going to be released “shortly.”
“Let me be clear: these are not the specific measures when you can go back to work or school, when you can see your neighbours or extended family, or friends. This framework will lay out the things that need to happen before taking any next steps. Restarting our economy will be gradual and careful, and will be guided by science,” Trudeau said.
Trudeau said Monday that Canada hit a national record high for the number of new COVID-19 tests administered in a single day, with 26,000 tests conducted.
More to come…
