OTTAWA, Sept 18, 2020 (BSS/AFP) – Canada’s most populous province of
Ontario on Thursday clamped down on big parties, unveiling steep fines for
breaches of strict limits on the number of people attending social gatherings
to try to prevent a second wave of Covid-19 outbreaks.
Organizers of private gatherings of more than 10 people inside homes and
more than 25 outside will face a fine of up to Can$10,000 (US$7,600), while
each partygoer could be fined Can$750, Ontario Premier Doug Ford told a news
conference.
The fines — coming after an uptick in new coronavirus cases as students
return to classes — are the harshest in Canada for breaking public health
orders.
“This is a serious situation, folks. We will throw the book at you if you
break the rules,” Ford said, citing recent risky behaviors such as “drinking,
hugging (and) kissing” at illegal parties hosted by “reckless, careless
people.”
“The second wave is coming,” the Ontario Medical Association warned in a
statement, calling for increased Covid-19 testing capacity.
The new restrictions will take effect in Ottawa and the Toronto region,
starting on Friday.
They will not apply to public outdoor events or venues such as restaurants,
cinemas or sports arenas.
Ontario also scaled back the allowable size of gatherings from 50 people
indoors and from 100 outdoors, under the new regime.
Ontario and Quebec, the two provinces most affected by the pandemic, have
each recorded around 300 new Covid-19 cases in recent days.
In total, Canada has recorded more than 140,000 coronavirus cases and 9,238
deaths to date.
Chief public health officer Theresa Tam linked in part the sudden rise in
new cases to private parties where “physical distancing and wearing of masks
were not followed.”
This “increases the risk for COVID-19 spread getting out of hand,” she
warned.