As expected, B.C. is extending the provincial State of Emergency because of COVID-19 for another two weeks.

That is as Premier John Horgan says government will unveil some early plans to re-open parts of the economy next week. He notes though that the reopening of the economy will be a slow, methodical approach.

“I know that everyone is looking forward to resuming normal activities, and we want to see that as well,” he said. “But it’s going to take resolute action by all of us to ensure that we continue to make progress rather than give up the progress that has been so hard fought for over the past month and a half.”

Horgan says British Columbians have made great progress in the fight against the novel coronavirus, calling the province ‘the envy of the country.’

“[Our return will be] guided of course by the science and the work of public health officials,” Horgan added. “And it will be a phased in approach, but it will be different in British Columbia because unlike other provinces we resisted the call for a full lock down of our economy.”

“The approach in British Columbia was how could we keep sectors operating safely.”

He says when things do open up, people will have to be comfortable in going about their day-to-day lives.

“The consuming public has to be comfortable and confident when hey go into a restaurant that they are going to be safe,” Horgan said. “Similarly, workers in that sector need that confidence as well.”

“And the only way of building that confidence is to have a set of common protocols, common guidelines, in place to protect to workers, in place to protect consumers.”

The province first declared a state of emergency on March 18, and has been extending it every two weeks since then.