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A provincial state of emergency has been renewed and is expected to continue for the foreseeable future, says B.C. Premier John Horgan.

On Wednesday, Horgan advised British Columbians to avoid non-essential travel over the upcoming Victoria Day long weekend, and to continue to wash hands and practise physical distancing.

The premier said restrictions aimed at stopping the spread of COVID-19 will remain in place until Tuesday at the earliest. “We are far from out of the woods,” he said.

Horgan acknowledged that some people are anxious for the economy to slowly reopen, but he cautioned that every hairstylist, massage therapist, chiropractor, restaurant will not be open for business next week.

“I don’t want people’s belief that on the 19th of May, all of a sudden we’re back to normal,” he said.

“We are not going to be back to normal. We’re going to start the process to bring back industries that were ordered shut by [provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie] Henry, and she’ll be revising her orders at the appropriate time.”

Guidelines for a host of businesses and medical services are being finalized with WorkSafe B.C. and public health officials, and are expected to be announced by early next week.

The premier also said he and Education Minister Rob Fleming will reveal the province’s plans for schools on Friday.

A dry run will be held in June in preparation for September, when elementary and high schools will resume full operation, he said. Horgan said no layoffs are contemplated, despite the loss of fee-paying international students. “Quite the contrary — as we look at new models, we’re going to probably see an increase and a requirement for teachers and support staff.”

Horgan said that he has reiterated to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland that British Columbia is firm on the need to enforce a prohibition on non-essential international travel.

Horgan agreed tourism remains one of the hardest-hit industries during the pandemic, but said because “every corner of British Columbia is spectacular,” there’s every reason to assume international travelers will resume travelling to B.C. in the future, when restrictions are lifted.

When the province’s restart plan is underway, there will be “aggressive marketing” through Destination B.C. to promote staycations in B.C., he said.

“I know people will want to visit parts of British Columbia that maybe have been on the list to do but they’ve never been able to find the time to get that done,” said Horgan, who wouldn’t speculate on what will happen to travel from other parts of Canada this summer.

“It’s really difficult to talk about how we’re going to deal with July and August and September when we’re right in the heart of May.”

The premier said health officials want people to stay close to home for now. “As the summer unfolds, and the evidence predicts that we can do more, we will do more and we’ll be focusing on the tourism sector,” he said.

ceharnett@timescolonist.com