Some Yukon businesses are reopening this week with health and safety protocols provided by the chief medical officer of health.

Meanwhile, a comprehensive plan for relaxing restrictions is in the works for services still ordered to close.

“The decisions for reopening will be made by the Yukon government based on a public health framework,” Dr. Brendan Hanley told a media briefing Tuesday afternoon.

“Let it be clear that if we relax too soon, or too much, we could, at the blink of an eye, be overwhelmed by a local outbreak.”

Hanley provided details on the forthcoming plan for reopening the territory and clarified points on the restrictions that are still in place.

The Yukon is still at 11 cases of COVID-19, with eight people recovered.

The total number of people tested is now at 953, with 902 negative results and 40 pending.

On March 22, Hanley ordered that bars and personal services such as hair salons, tattoo parlours and alternative health clinics close, and restaurants offer take-out only. These businesses will remain closed for the time being.

A large number of Yukon retailers also chose to close temporarily. Hanley said the onus is on those individual businesses to choose a date for reopening.

Business owners should consider how many customers can be in an establishment while maintaining a two-metre distance from each other and ensure hand hygiene and cleanliness protocols are followed. A general guideline for businesses reopening will soon be available on yukon.ca, Hanley said.

He clarified that the ban on gatherings of more than 10 people applies to social gatherings but not retail, commercial nor work spaces.

“It’s important to state that for many businesses, the public health risk is adequately minimized as long as physical distancing and hand hygiene practices are upheld,” Hanley said.

Better Bodies, a downtown fitness centre, is one business that Hanley said does not fall under personal services and is supported in its decision to reopen last week.

Premier Sandy Silver said the government will soon provide a plan for reopening the rest of the economy, with consultation from federal powers, fellow jurisdictions and Hanley.

“At the heart of our approach is the need to continue protecting the health of Yukoners and all Canadians,” Silver said.

“The easing of restrictions will be gradual, and will be done in a way that protects high-risk members of our community.”

On Tuesday, Canada’s first ministers released a comprehensive list of criteria that jurisdictions must meet before restarting the economy. Those include:

• that COVID-19 transmission is controlled;

• sufficient public health capacity is in place to test, trace, and isolate all cases;

• expanded health care capacity exists for all patients;

• supports are in place for vulnerable groups and key populations;

• workplace preventative measures are in place;

• measures are taken to avoid risk of importation; and

• governments will continue to engage and support.

Silver said his government is working to apply these criteria with a Yukon-specific lens.

“We cannot pretend we operate in a silo in Yukon, but we know our northern situation is different from our southern counterparts,” Silver said.

“I appreciate these are highly trying times…. We want to return to life, how it was or begin again in a way that’s even better, but it’s not time yet. We must continue to be patient, we must remain diligent in the fight against this virus.”

In the meantime, Hanley recommended that Yukoners find safe, creative methods of spending time with friends and family.

He encouraged gatherings of fewer than 10 people in the outdoors, with adequate spacing. He noted that the risk of transmission of COVID-19 appears to be much lower while outside.

The opening of the Yukon’s campgrounds has been delayed two weeks, to the start of June. Hanley and Silver said they are working together to create a plan for safe camping.

Silver noted that campgrounds are inherently a place where people gather, often from different communities, and there is often not running water nor proper sanitation in place.

The government is urging caretakers to provide their children with routine immunizations while classrooms are out of session.

“Delaying or missing scheduled vaccines puts children at risk for common and serious childhood infections such as measles and whooping cough,” stated a government release.

Yukon health centres are prepared to deliver these vaccines safely to children during the pandemic.

The government has also launched a “don’t put your health on hold” campaign.

“Numbers of physician, health centre and emergency visits have dropped in recent weeks and we’re concerned that people who may be really ill or have legitimate health concerns are putting off that call or visit because of COVID-19,” a press release stated.

Health centres and emergency departments are still safe to visit during the pandemic, and Yukoners should still visit them if they have health concerns.