N.B. reopening plan expected in the next 2 weeks. Here are some of the possible targets

As COVID-19 public safety measures continue, New Brunswick Premier Blaine Higgs says the province will release its reopening plan in the next two weeks.

But when exactly the province sees that plan could depend on the outbreak situation in the Fredericton region.

“Right now of course it is the stabilization continued here in Fredericton, and for us we’ll see over the next few days that number stay the same or drop,” Higgs said Friday.

Zone 3, the Fredericton and Upper Saint John River Valley region, has the most active cases of COVID-19 in the province at 61. That’s nearly triple the active cases of the next closest zone.

The outbreak, and the pandemic’s burden on the health-care system in general, will guide parts of the province’s reopening plan, according to chief medical officer of health Dr. Jennifer Russell.

“I think all jurisdictions in Canada are looking at similar things in terms of positivity rates, hospitalization rates, ICU admissions, case numbers and obviously vaccination rates,” Russell said during Friday’s COVID-19 briefing.

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Speaking to reporters earlier Friday Higgs was tight-lipped about the exact contents of the reopening plan, but shared several key benchmarks the province is looking at.

One of those is July 1, that date Higgs hopes to see the Atlantic Bubble return.

“We want to see our provinces get back together, we want to see the ability to have an Atlantic Bubble back in action,” Higgs said.

“We wanna see friends and relatives to be able to come back to visit and we want to see people that own properties be able to come back to visit.”

In other provinces, vaccination rates have played a key role in reopening plans. In Ontario, the three-phased plan is based on 60, 70 and 80 per cent first dose rates.

In Saskatchewan, the plan focuses on getting vaccination rates for people above certain ages higher than 70 per cent, with the last phase kicking in three weeks after 70 per cent of those aged 18-plus have received a first dose.

The magic number in New Brunswick appears to be 75 per cent of those eligible.

“We feel that’s when we’re able to make the step change,” Higgs said.

Current projections would see New Brunswick hit that number by June 6.

Moving deeper into the summer, Higgs says the second-dose rate will play a role in the loosening of restrictions.

“There will be points of levels of second-dose vaccinations that will be considered thresholds,” Higgs said.

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It’s unclear at this point when non-essential travelers from outside Atlantic Canada will be allowed into the province, but caseloads and vaccination rates elsewhere will be part of the equation.

“If people are coming here, have they been vaccinated,” Higgs said. “By July, anywhere in the country most people will have had the opportunity to get one vaccine, many two.”

Health minister Dorothy Shephard says that progress towards the reopening plan depends on New Brunswickers continuing to roll up their sleeves to get vaccinated and to keep following public health rules.

“Be diligent,” Shephard said during Friday’s briefing.

“This is about getting through the next so few weeks, to get us on the path everyone is waiting for.”