16 charges laid against non-essential businesses in Toronto over the weekend
Over the weekend, 16 charges were laid against non-essential businesses that were found to not comply with COVID-19 orders.
On Friday, Chief Matthew Pegg said that the charges were laid in violation of the Ontario Reopening Act, including hair salons, restaurants, and furniture stores for not complying with orders.
He also noted that of the 130 bars and restaurants inspected over the weekend, 98.5% were found in compliance with only two found to be non-compliant.
And with private gatherings, just one charge was laid by Toronto Police Service.
There were no charges laid against malls, which Pegg said were all in compliance, including activity on Black Friday.
Additionally, when looking at Toronto parks, 15 bonfires were extinguished on the waterfront, and one in Prince of Whales Park required response by Toronto fire services.
According to Pegg, since the pandemic began, there have been 1,660 formal enforcement actions made.
The City’s top doctor, Dr. Eileen de Villa, also said for residents to “keep your guard up” with 643 COVID-19 cases reported on Monday.
She noted that while the cases fluctuate day-t0-day, on average, cases are around the high-400s and mid-500s range.
While de Villa said the numbers are alarming, they must be put into context and with Toronto just in a lockdown for one week, results from the enhanced restrictions won’t be seen for at least another week.
To date, Toronto has a total of 40,944 cases with 1,601 reported deaths.
Follow Channels and Categories