Nine businesses charged for violating COVID-19 orders in York Region

Jan 2 2021, 7:25 pm

Officials in York Region have charged multiple businesses with violating COVID-19 health and safety orders in a one-week period.

Bylaw officers and public health officials from Vaughan, Newmarket, Aurora, and Markham laid charges against nine businesses between December 21 and 27, 2020.

The businesses were charged under the Reopening Ontario Act, and each received a fine totalling $880.

Violations include a barber in Richmond Hill who was charged for cutting a client’s hair, and a salon in Markham that was fined for being open in violation of provincial regulations.

Several grocery stores were charged, including one in Aurora where staff were found to not be wearing masks, and another in Vaughan where physical distancing wasn’t being enforced.

A non-essential business in Newmarket was charged for being open for in-store shopping, and a restaurant in Vaughan fined for not having proper mask signage.

York Region has been in the Grey-Lockdown zone of Ontario’s COVID-19 framework since December 14. A province-wide lockdown went into effect on December 26.

Under lockdown measures, non-essential businesses are closed, retail stores can only offer curbside pick-up or delivery, and restaurants can only be open for pick-up, drive-through, and delivery.

Zoe DemarcoZoe Demarco

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