Canada's chief public health officer Dr. Theresa Tam is advising extreme caution when it comes to reopening the Canada-United States border.

She says Canada needs to see what happens when it eases its own public health measures to contain the virus before allowing foreign travel again.

It will also depend on the international epidemiology.

She says Canada should be looking carefully at the United States' COVID-19 situation before allowing cross-border travel.

Next phase will involve testing people with a wider range of potential symptoms

Dr. Theresa Tam says the next phase of Canada's COVID-19 response will involve testing people with a wider range of potential symptoms.

Until recently, the government was asking people with mild symptoms to isolate at home without receiving a test.

In order to get a better idea of who has the disease, Tam says Canada needs to start casting a wider net when it comes to who to test.

The new normal for Canada will not look the same as it did last January

Dr. Theresa Tam says Canada is not going to see mass gatherings or non-essential travel any time soon.

She says the new normal the country may be entering into as Canada starts reopening the economy will not look the same as it did last January.

For example, you can expect to see more Plexiglas and social-distancing measures in stores and shops once they reopen.