In the first week of new COVID-19 enforcement measures from August 21 to August 28, the province says there were ten tickets handed out to people in British Columbia.
Six of those were $2,000 tickets issued to organizers of large events, and another four $200 tickets were issued to other people.
“Since we announced the new enforcement measures, we’ve seen several examples of violation tickets being issued to people breaking the law,” said Public Safety Minister Mike Farnworth.
“It’s disappointing to see behaviour that shows a blatant disregard for the safety of citizens. It’s time to stop breaking the rules. It’s time to do better. It’s my hope that these enforcement measures will result in a change in behaviour and fewer violation tickets will be needed in the future.”
Those figures were released by the province as it extended the COVID-19 state of emergency by another two weeks to September 15. NL News has asked how much of the $12,800 in fines has been paid so far, and what measures are in place to ensure people pay their fines.
The state of emergency was first declared in March and has been extended every two weeks since then.
“It’s encouraging to see the vast majority of British Columbians following public health rules to stop the spread of COVID-19 and keep each other safe,” said Premier John Horgan. “However, there remains a small group of people ignoring Dr. Henry’s orders and threatening our hard work over the past several months to flatten the curve.”
“This pandemic is not over, and whether it’s an end-of-summer gathering or hockey celebration, this is not the time to bend or break the rules. To those few who are not complying, there will be consequences.”
As it has in the past, the province says the state of emergency will allow it to the actions needed to keep people safe while managing concerns like recent outbreaks in some areas of the British Columbia.
Health officials today announced 58 cases of the virus, none in Interior Health.
The province also remains under a state of public health emergency because of COVID-19, declared by Dr. Bonnie Henry on March 17.
