Reopen Right Letter

Zero COVID Canada is deeply concerned by the reopening plans of the provinces of British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario and Quebec.

As more and more evidence comes in, it appears that a single dose of the vaccine – including Pfizer – is only about 30% effective against the Delta variant, which is ravaging India and the UK right now. The variant is already in Canada, is highly transmissible, and recently caused multiple outbreaks in an Alberta hospital as well as spikes of Delta cases in the Peel Region and in Manitoba. We need to continue to protect those who aren’t fully vaccinated from the damage caused by COVID-19. Each new variant has the potential to evade vaccination efforts, and we need to protect our efforts to date. 

There is also increasing evidence that children might be more affected by the new variants. As they cannot be vaccinated yet, we need to protect them more.

In these circumstances, reopening too soon will waste much of the hard work we’ve put in to stop the spread and cause a fourth wave. If we make the last bit of effort, the current downgrading wave could be the last. We might really go back to normal and avoid further disruptions. Let’s stop the pandemic in Canada once and for all. To do so, we must only reopen right.

Reopening safely should not be based on dates or vaccination rates, but on performance metrics. Those metrics are:

  • Very low daily case numbers, and zero community transmission

  • R value of below 0.7, with confidence that it will stay so after reopening

  • Test positivity rate of well below 5%

  • Ability to rapidly monitor for new variants, test, trace, and isolate

At the very least, we ask your government to:

  • Slow down the reopening according to the proper metrics

  • Keep the masks and distancing, and restore capacity limits at least until 70% of residents are fully vaccinated with two doses

  • Widely implement rapid testing

  • Fully vaccinate essential workers and people living in areas of high infection rates in priority

  • Subsidize N95 masks or equivalent and good ventilation systems for indoor spaces

  • Protect children by closing schools and supporting families

Please take those actions immediately to protect the people under your jurisdiction, to avoid losing control another time, causing more illness, variants and deaths, and to stop the pandemic in Canada once and for all.

Zero COVID Canada is a national group of researchers, physicians, engineers, activists, lawyers, educators, and concerned citizens who are calling on Canada’s leaders to adopt a Zero Covid strategy.

Send Your Own Letter

If you support the message of Zero COVID Canada then please click here for a copy of the letter to the Premiers along with contact information for the Premiers and Health Ministers of the 6 largest provinces. Please voice your support by sending a copy to your Premier and Minister of Health.