So here's how Sask.'s reopening compares to other provincial plans

Saskatchewan was the first Canadian province to release itsplan for gradually easing public health measures enacted to help curb the spread of COVID-19.

Since the May 4 unveiling of Saskatchewan's "roadmap" for reopening, four other provinces B.C., Quebec, Ontario and most recently Alberta have followed suit with their own plans.

All outline a step-by-step approach, albeit with different working dates for each step given the unique pandemic experience of each province.

Here are five things that stand out (or don't) when comparing Saskatchewan's plan with those of other provinces.

The Sask. plan isn't the only one withoutsecond-dose vaccination targets

B.C.'s reopening plan also features first-dose vaccination targets only.

Its fourth and final step which the province is not expected to reach until Sept. 7 at the earliest, andwould allow"normal social contact" is dependent on 70 per cent of residents age 18 and over having their first dose (the same target as the third and final step in Saskatchewan's plan).

Alberta's three-stage plan doesn't feature second-dose targets either. The plan's first-dose vaccination target in itsthird and final step is 70 per cent of all residents age 12 and over.

In Ontario, the second and third steps of the reopening plan both hinge in parton second-dose targets: 20 per cent of all adults for Step 2and increasing to 25 per cent of all adults in Step 3.

Quebec'splan, taken together with statements made by PremierFranois Legault,is unique in that it aims to roll back restrictions on a regular basis throughout the summer, provided people keep getting vaccinated and depending on theepidemiological situation.

Vaccination targets aren't specifiedfor each stage of rollbacks. However, the last major phase ofQuebec's plan which is expected to arrive by the end of August or later and see the end of the province's colour-coded restrictions regime requires 75 per cent of people 12 and over to be fully vaccinated.

Dr. Theresa Tam, Canada's chief public health officer, has set the benchmark of 75 per cent of adults having received one dose and 20 per cent having received two before lifting restrictions.

The emphasis on key health indicators varies by province

Health officials have said Saskatchewan will monitor COVID-19 hospitalizations andpause elements of the province's reopening planshould concerning acute care spikes occur.

But the rule changes outlined in Saskatchewan's plan are not formally tied to COVID-19 hospitalizations andother key health indicators.

Other provinces are more specific about what key healthindicators are central to their plans.

B.C., for instance, says declining COVID-19 case counts, hospitalizations and the death rate, along with single-dose vaccination targets, will determine how the provincewill move through the steps of its plan.

Step 1 of Ontario's plan will only begin if 60 per cent of Ontario's adults receive at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccineand"if public health indicatorssuch as hospitalizations, ICU occupancy and new admissions and case rates indicate the province can safely move to this step."

Alberta's reopening plan isnot only pegged to vaccination targets but also requires hospitalizations to be below 800 and declining for Step 1,and below 500 and declining for Step 2.

Sask.'s plan says littleabout masks

Saskatchewan's reopening plan states that, under Step 3, "most remaining restrictions will be lifted" but that "guidance on indoor masking will be developed based on the progress of the first two steps."

Other provinces have been more specific about their mask policy plans.

In B.C., masks in public indoor settingswill remain a requirementthrough the end of Step 2 and become recommended by Step 3. By the fourth and final step, indoor masks will be a matter of personal choice.

Quebec's premier has said he wants 75 per cent of people 12 and up to have a second dose before the masks come off indoors.

Alberta's plan actually says even less than Saskatchewan's about masks. "Distancing and masking requirements remain in effect"for steps 1 and 2, according to the plan,but masks go unmentioned in Alberta's third and final step.

Sask. and B.C. areallowing indoor dining in the very first steps of their plans

Saskatchewan actually already allows indoor dining, and has for months,but on May 30 the date Step 1 is expected to commence up to six people will be allowed at a table, providedthose tables are separated by either two metres or a structural barrier. That's up from the current maximum of four tablemates.

Buffets and dance floors still won't beallowed.

B.C. will follow the Saskatchewan template, including allowing six people per table.

Quebec, like Saskatchewan, already allows indoor dining, but only in its yellow and orangezones. (People from up two residences can share a table in the orange zone.)By May 31 the second next date on which rules in Quebec will be relaxed under the plan the vast majority of the province's restaurants are expected to be in the orangezone.

Alberta won't allow indoor dining until Step 2, Ontario not until Step 3.

Most provinces are on the same page about capacity limits for private outdoor gatherings

They're all limiting such gatherings to 10 people under the first steps of their plans, except for Quebec, which is more strictly limiting them to eight people.