British Columbia lifted a number of restrictions starting Tuesday, May 25 as part of the four-step “Restart Plan” which includes a green light on indoor dining, gyms and outdoor sports.

The four steps outline goals for the  spring and summer and look ahead to ease more restrictions within the coming months and hopefully bring back more normalcy to people’s lives.

Residents can now start dining indoors, going to the gym for low-intensity workouts, having religious gatherings in person, and participating in outdoor sports.

All of these activities still should be happening on a smaller scale while following physical distancing measures and wearing masks.

The B.C. official Restart Plan states that it’s a careful guide to “bring B.C. back together. Starting May 25, we can gradually begin to restart our important social connections, businesses and activities. Getting vaccinated is the most important tool supporting our restart.”

While recreational travel is allowed, B.C. residents are still only allowed to travel within the three regional health zones.

The following is allowed starting May 25 under Step 1 of the Restart Plan:

• Up to five visitors for a personal indoor gathering.

• Up to 10 visitors for either a personal outdoor gathering or seated, indoor organized gatherings.

• Up to 50 people for seated outdoor organized gatherings.

• Indoor dining with up to six people; no mingling with other tables allowed.

• Outdoor sports games with no spectators.

• Indoor, in-person faith-based gatherings at a reduced capacity based on consultation with public health.

In the last few months, daily case counts and active case counts in the province have gone down by 61 and 55 per cent, respectively.

Currently, about 60 per cent of British Columbians over 18 have received their first dose of the vaccine. The province aims for 65 per cent of the population over 18 to have their first dose by Step 2 around the start of July.

According to the Restart Plan, practically all safety measures could be lifted by the first week of September.

Learn more about the plan at https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/covid-19/info/restart.