BETTER SAFE THAN SORRY
Many unhappy about rush to reopen
Most British Columbians say the government is taking the right approach with its response to COVID-19, but less than half feel comfortable with its plans to reopen businesses and services, according to a new poll.
The poll, conducted by Leger for The Vancouver Sun and The Province, found that 73 per cent of respondents felt the public health response in B.C. has been appropriate, while the rest felt it has been either insufficient (14 per cent) or extreme (12 per cent).
But only 48 per cent of respondents felt comfortable with the government’s plans to reopen businesses and other services, according to the market research and analytics firm, which surveyed 601 people online between May 15 and 18.
Another 30 per cent said they were uncomfortable with the plans, while 18 per cent didn’t lean either way.
“It tells us that British Columbians are not prepared to rip off the Band-Aid and charge into the reopening, that they will do it cautiously, they will do it in a way that is as safe as they can,” said Ian Large, Leger’s executive vice-president for Western Canada.
“And there is this trust in government that their response has been appropriate. I think that, to some extent, is a huge win for government because I don’t know that in some places around the world, or even places in Canada, the support for the public health response would be as strong.”
More than three-quarters of respondents (77 per cent) said they were familiar with B.C.’s Restart Plan, which entered Phase 2 on Tuesday, allowing elective surgeries to resume along with other medical services such as dentistry, physiotherapy, registered massage therapy, chiropractors, speech therapy and similar services.
The plan also allowed the opening of retail shops, as well as hair salons, barbers, other personal services, in-person counselling, and restaurants, cafes and pubs, provided they make space for sufficient physical distancing. Museums, art galleries, libraries, office-based work sites, some recreation and sports, parks, beaches, outdoor spaces and child care were also allowed to open this week.
The poll found that six in 10 respondents would be comfortable visiting a non-essential business that was following best practices such as physical distancing and frequently disinfecting surfaces. But one-quarter said they would feel uncomfortable even with those measures in place.
Some types of businesses will have more trouble bringing back customers than others, according to the poll. Less than half of respondents said they would feel comfortable at an outdoor sports field or arena (49 per cent); patio or outdoor seating at a bar or restaurant (48 per cent); or hair salon or barber (40 per cent).
Only one-third of respondents said they would feel comfortable visiting a shopping mall (34 per cent) or a hotel (32 per cent), and only one-quarter said they would visit a bar or restaurant that had only indoor seating (23 per cent).
Even fewer said they would feel comfortable visiting a nightclub (eight per cent), indoor sports arena (17 per cent) or gym (18 per cent).
“I think what we’re seeing here is actually a very good understanding of what is safer, and what is less safe in terms of social distancing,” Large said. “It says two things: One is that British Columbians are pretty cautious and, more importantly, they’re getting the message about where it’s OK to go and where it’s not OK.”
Two-thirds of respondents said they would be prepared to allow a health screening from staff before entering a non-essential business, and four in 10 said they would be willing to use a location-based service on their smartphone to support contact tracing.