Across the country, political leaders have started to talk about the gradual removal of restrictions on businesses and people, but a new poll finds that most Canadians aren’t in a rush to return to their normal lives.
Results of a recent Angus Reid Institute survey show that if current restraints were lifted, only 11 per cent of respondents would immediately return to their normal day-to-day activities. Forty three per cent said they would wait two weeks to ensure there are no new cases of COVID-19 and 17 per cent believe they would not reintegrate into public life until a vaccine was developed.
While some provinces have reported data that suggests they might be flattening their curves, 77 per cent of Canadians say that it’s too soon to start easing up on social distancing requirements and business closures.
On Sunday, Prime Minister Trudeau said that Canada will have to be careful when lifting any restrictions, adding that the federal government wants to see more decreases before measures are relaxed. Ontario Premier Doug Ford echoed those sentiments on Tuesday, stating that he would be relying on the advice of health experts.
Meanwhile leaders in B.C. and P.E.I. have indicated some restrictions could be lifted as soon as May.
Of the places that Canadians would like to see opened up first, top responses were parks (50 per cent) and workplaces (46 per cent), followed by retail stores (26 per cent) and golf courses (14 per cent).
Overall, respondents believe steps taken on a national level to deal with COVID-19 have been appropriate. Approval of the federal government’s response has increased from 49 per cent to 67 per cent since the beginning of March.