What's allowed to open in Phase 2 of B.C.'s restart plan?
Restaurants, libraries, child-care facilities can begin operating again — but with restrictions
Tuesday marks the beginning of the second phase of British Columbia's restart plan, a four-phase plan to reopen the economy after two months of shutdown.
It means, starting today, restaurants, cafes and pubs, retail and personal service establishments, libraries, museums and galleries, office spaces and child care facilities may open for business again. For some companies, it will be the first time they've opened their doors since mid-March.
Parks, beaches and recreational facilities are reopening, too.
But there are restrictions.
Businesses have been asked to develop enhanced protocols to ensure they are operating in line with the public health and safety guidelines. In order to reopen, all businesses must have a COVID-19 safety plan in place.
WorkSafeBC is providing a template for those plans. The head of prevention services for the agency, Al Johnson, has said about 300 prevention officers will oversee enforcement.
Industry-specific public health protocols were released by the province on Friday, aiming to prevent the spread of the coronavirus while ramping up economic activity.
As part of Phase 2, the province is still asking people to stay close to home and avoid any non-essential travel between communities. People should also keep practising physical distancing and proper personal hygiene, and they should stay home if they feel unwell.
Businesses and facilities allowed to reopen, under enhanced protocols, during Phase 2:
- Medically related services:
- Dentistry, physiotherapy, registered massage therapy and chiropractors
- Physical therapy, speech therapy and similar services
- Retail sector
- Hair salons, barbers and other personal service establishments
- In-person counselling
- Restaurants, cafes and pubs (with sufficient distancing measures)
- Museums, art galleries and libraries
- Office-based worksites
- Recreation and sports
- Parks, beaches and outdoor spaces
- Child care
Also, elective surgeries are being rescheduled as part of Phase 2.
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With files from The Canadian Press