February 9, 2021
COVID-19 Enforcement Update
The Manitoba government is providing an update on ongoing enforcement efforts to protect Manitobans from the spread of COVID-19.
A total of 99 warnings and 39 tickets were issued for the week of Feb. 1 to 7 including:
• 31 $1,296 tickets to individuals for various offences;
• six $298 tickets to individuals for failure to wear a mask in indoor public places;
• one $5,000 ticket to a business; and
• one $1,750 ticket to an individual for the Federal Quarantine Act.
Officials advise that 25 of the 31 $1,296 tickets issued last week were in relation to gatherings in private residences or outdoors.
Although the province has made moderate changes to public health orders, they remain in effect and must be followed to reduce the spread of COVID-19. Manitobans are reminded to stick to the fundamentals of physical distancing, hand washing and wearing a mask.
All retail establishments are now open for business provided they maintain physical distancing and occupancy limits. Enforcement officials continue to work with these businesses to provide guidance and the majority of interactions are educational in nature.
Manitobans are urged to continue reporting compliance and enforcement issues by visiting www.manitoba.ca/COVID19 and completing the reporting form, or by calling 204-945-3744 or (toll-free) 1-866-626-4862 and pressing option three on the call menu.
Almost 3,300 personnel across various agencies are empowered to enforce public health orders to protect Manitobans. This includes RCMP, law enforcement agencies, provincial employees and municipal partners, such as the City of Winnipeg. Threatening behaviour towards public health or enforcement officials will not be tolerated.
Since enforcement efforts began in April, a total of 2,857 warnings and 938 tickets have been issued, resulting in more than $1.3 million in fines to businesses and individuals.
Updated enforcement statistics are now posted online weekly at https://manitoba.ca/openmb/infomb/departments/index.html#cdr. Additional data related to COVID-19, including data on enforcement, vaccines, outbreaks as well as some downloadable and historic data, can be found at https://geoportal.gov.mb.ca/.
In addition to a $298 fine for not wearing a mask in indoor public places, fine amounts for violating public health orders have been set at $1,296 for tickets issued to individuals, including sole proprietorships and partnerships, and $5,000 for tickets issued to corporations.
The Manitoba government is taking strong action to protect Manitobans and ensure timely access to care. Current orders under the Public Health Act are available at:
https://www.gov.mb.ca/asset_library/en/proactive/2020_2021/orders-soe-01212021.pdf.
Manitobans are reminded to adhere to all current public health orders and stay home. For more information on COVID-19 in Manitoba, visit www.manitoba.ca/COVID19.
For information about online events and activities designed to make staying home a little easier, visit Safe at Home Manitoba at www.safeathomemb.ca/.
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