TORONTO (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 29th April, 2020) Coordinated easing of travel restrictions and public health capacity are among the criteria necessary to restart the Canadian economy beset by the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, a joint statement by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and provincial and territorial leaders said.
"Restrictions on non-essential travel are eased and managed in a coordinated manner" is one of the principles agreed upon by the provinces and the Federal government, the statement said on Tuesday.
To begin gradually reopening the economy would necessitate public health capacity that would be able to support sufficient testing and contact tracing as well as backstops should a new spike in COVID-19 cases occur, the statement said.
Trudeau and the provincial and territorial leaders also agreed that protocols must be put in place to ensure the health and safety of those returning to work.
The set of guidelines also include stipulations to protect seniors and people in long-term health facilities, which have been devastated by the COVID-19 pandemic.
According to data presented by the country's public health agency on Tuesday, the vast majority of fatalities, or 79 percent, are linked to care homes and that 95 percent of deaths are individuals over the age of 60.
The relative calm in some provinces has prompted officials there to commence or begin planning for a gradual scaling back of coronavirus-induced restrictive measures. On Friday, the province of New Brunswick announced that it has started to roll back some of the restrictions; Saskatchewan will begin doing the same on May 4.
All non-essential travel between the United States and Canada has been halted since March 20. Some Canadian provinces have also instituted inter-provincial travel restrictions, with Quebec setting up checkpoints at some provincial border crossings from Ontario.
