Toronto officers hand out 48 tickets and many warnings over Easter weekend

The COVID-19 Enforcement Team in Toronto was busy handing out fines and enforcing social distancing measures this Easter long weekend.

On Sunday, in a news release, the City noted that 48 tickets were issued by Municipal Licensing & Standards (MLS) officers on Saturday. The tickets were given to those not practicing physical distancing and using closed park amenities. They account for 32 percent of tickets issued since officers began enforcing the new measures on April 3, according to blogTo.

“The advice from Toronto’s public health officials has been clear and consistent: to stop the community spread of this deadly virus, we must reduce all contact with others as much as possible,” reads a statement from MLS.

MLS officers warned 286 people about the use of amenities and practicing social distancing, according to the city. This is a decrease of 83 percent since Friday.

The team has decided to implement more strict enforcement of the 20 high-use parks instead of just providing education to the public.

Under a new bylaw, any pair of people—who don't live together—standing under 2 metres apart while in a public square or park can receive a fine of $1,000. Also, if someone does not properly identify themselves to an officer who is investigating a situation under the Emergency Measures and Civil Protection Act, they will see a set fine of $750.

Officers noted less use of some of the city’s busiest parks over the weekend and a drop in complaints of close to 39 percent from Friday.

Reports of people letting their dogs off-leash in Trinity Bellwoods Park and people loitering around waterfront parks and starting bonfires were still made by officers.

In Ontario, 421 new cases of coronavirus were reported on Monday along with 17 deaths, bringing the total to 7,470 cases. The province's death toll is now 291. So far, 3,357 people have made a recovery from the virus—44.9 percent of cases.