After weeks of pressure from the business community and pressure and pressure from prime ministers and the public, the federal government has finally unveiled part of its plan to reopen Canada’s international borders – one more step towards a full economic recovery.

Let’s take this decision and make the most of it.

The measures allowing fully vaccinated Americans to enter Canada in early August – and then grant them that access to the rest of the world in September – will finally give the travel, tourism, food and beverage industries a big boost. accommodation and entertainment.

As long as travelers meet all requirements, quarantine will no longer be required, repeated COVID-19 testing will end, forced hotel stays will be a thing of the past, and children of vaccinated parents will have more leeway.

Border towns will regain some of their activity, and the economy at large will benefit greatly from the cross-pollination of ideas and strategies that personal contacts and travel can bring.

We are approaching the time that so many businesses, large and small, have been waiting.

Yes, the plan is prudent. No partially vaccinated people without quarantine. Everyone will still need to have a negative COVID-19 test before arrival. Proof of vaccination should be uploaded to the ArriveCAN app or website. Only vaccines approved by Canada will be acceptable. Some travelers will still be randomly tested upon arrival so public health officials can track any variations of concern.

And just in case, you better have a full-fledged quarantine plan on hand if border guards ask for it.

But prudence has served Canada’s economy well in the past, and at a time when the world worries about the unpredictable nature of worrisome variants, prudence can help us again.

In fact, we have a chance right now to make it a virtue.

Our prudence has led us to excel in vaccination. After a slow start, Canada is now a world leader in the proportion of our population that is fully immunized. With 49.9% of adults now double-vaxxed, we have passed the United States. And it doesn’t look like we’re on the verge of dropping out due to reluctance from parts of the United States.

Moreover, the plan is now in place before entering an election campaign, ensuring that the reopening will not be subject to a cheap election campaign.

When it comes to businesses trying to navigate a high-risk pandemic, Canada seems safer and more stable than most other places – and that’s of great value during a time of so much fear. Extended precautions and our rising vaccination rates serve us well, as marketing tools as well as in pandemic management.

But the plan must actually work if it is to achieve economic recovery.

Are border guards and officials prepared to deal with additional traffic and additional red tape? Public Safety Minister Bill Blair has warned that there could be delays and there will undoubtedly be many issues to be addressed in the new system.

The ArriveCAN app has a reputation for being clunky and not providing the security or smooth service many had hoped for.

And so far the United States has not returned the favor, even though it was the American politicians who pushed so hard for the reopening in the first place. Insiders say it’s probably only a matter of time, and besides, Canadians are finding ways to get into the United States if they have to.

But the daily cross-border experience that is so important to our border towns and the entertainment and tourism industries that line the 49th parallel may not recover immediately if the reopening proves too cumbersome.

Additionally, some of the political vagueness that plagued businesses throughout the pandemic remains in place.

Federal ministers stressed on Monday that the reopening would only go as planned if pandemic conditions allowed. They said they were monitoring Canada’s vaccination rates, rates of COVID-19 cases, hospitalization levels and intensive care use. They also said they were monitoring international data to track vaccination rates and the spread of new variants. But when would these indicators prompt Ottawa to reduce its reopening? We do not know.

There is a similar ambiguity as to which vaccines Canada will recognize. At this time, these are only the four vaccines approved for use in Canada, not all of the vaccines recognized by the World Health Organization. Ministers said on Monday they were considering it, but it is unclear, for example, under what conditions they would accept a traveler inoculated with vaccines from China that the World Health Organization has approved.

Ministers promised more details as the reopening approaches. If they want to turn this plan into something that Canada can amplify for the sake of the country’s prosperity, hopefully clarity will come soon.