Nova Scotia Will Start Five-Phase Reopening Plan June 1

HALIFAX—The Nova Scotia government released the details of its long-awaited reopening plan today.

During a Covid-19 update May 28, premier Iain Rankin revealed the province will begin loosening restrictions on June 2, using a five-phase approach that will roll out over the course of the summer.

“This is a big day, in large part because of the hard work of all Nova Scotians,” Rankin said.

He said the province’s plan is “based on data, not dates” and allows for an opening that is “gradual and cautious.”

Dr. Robert Strang, the province’s chief medical officer of health, said Nova Scotia’s plan for reopening “may look a little different than other provinces,” but that the province is sticking to the same cautious approach that has worked in the past.

Strang explained each phase of the plan will be tied to the number of Nova Scotians who have received a vaccine dose, not a specific calendar date. The province will also consider Covid-19 case counts, trends, and hospital capacity.

Phase 1 of the plan will begin June 2. According to Strang, it’s largely focused on opening up for outdoor activities and keeping gatherings small.

Restaurants and bars will be allowed to open their patios, as long as they can maintain appropriate distancing between tables, with no more than 10 people per table.

All retail business, meanwhile, will be allowed to open at 25 percent of their usual capacity, as long as other public health measures remain in place.

Personal services like salons and spas can open by appointment only but will not be able to provide services that require clients to remove their masks.

Gyms and fitness studios will be allowed to offer outdoor programs for groups no larger than 10. They will also be allowed to offer programs inside, as long as the appropriate distance can be made.

The government is also encouraging anyone who can work from home to do so.

During Phase 1, the Halifax and Sydney areas — where the majority of the province’s cases are — will have additional restrictions put on them. Schools in these regions will remain closed and travel in and out will remain largely restricted.

Phase 2 of the opening plan will see gathering limits raised to 25 outdoors, gyms allowed to open at 50 percent capacity, and restaurants and bars allowed indoor dining, and retail business allowed to open at 50 percent capacity.

Phase 3 will see the Atlantic Bubble open, retail business allowed to open at 75 percent capacity, and personal services allowed to open fully.

Phase 4 will again increase gathering limits and allow businesses to open at full capacity. Phase 5, which is identified as the “living with Covid” phase, will come into effect when 75 percent of Nova Scotians have 2 doses of vaccine.

Full details of each of the five phases is available here.

Rankin said that, if case counts continue to fall and people continue to get vaccines, the province should be able to move through each phase in as little as two weeks.

However, he and Strang both stressed that the plan won’t be tied to specific dates, but the province hitting targets tied to vaccine uptake and case counts.

• The Phase 1 target is 50 percent;
• The Phase 2 target is 60 percent;
• The Phase 3 target is 65 percent;
• The Phase 4 target is 75 percent.

“I firmly believe that putting dates out there creates unnecessary expectations that we may not be able to meet,” Strang said. “It’s wrong to lock ourselves into dates because we don’t know exactly what’s going to happen when we open things up.”