(Bloomberg) -- Canada’s economy shrank the most since the 2008-09 financial crisis in the first three months of the year, marking the beginning of what’s expected to be the deepest contraction of the post-war era.

Gross domestic product dropped at an annualized 8.2%, Statistics Canada said Friday in Ottawa. Economists had anticipated a 10% decline.

As bad as the first quarter was, the backdrop will be much worse in the second quarter when strict social-distancing measures and the closing of non-essential business were in effect for longer. The agency also released preliminary estimates for April that show an 11% plunge in output, versus the 7.2% drop in March when restrictions were first imposed halfway through the month.

Friday’s report showed the downturn was broad-based, with household spending falling 9% annualized, the most on record.

Still, the historic decline in the first half of 2020 has been anticipated, and focus is already shifting to how quickly and to what extent the economy will recover. Most economists expect a slow recovery as long as consumers remain hesitant to resume normal activities, at least until a vaccine is available.

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