WECHU law enforcement officials focus on educating companies as confusion arises over new rules

Windsor, Ontario –

The Windsor-Essex County Health Unit had law enforcement officers present for the weekend pressing charges and helping to clear up confusion about new public health measures for the region.

A Letter of Instructions limiting social gatherings and bar / restaurant capacity went into effect on Friday, December 10.

The executive director of the health unit, Nicole Dupuis, says law enforcement officials were focusing on providing education about the new rules.

“Overall, I think things worked out pretty well,” says Dupuis.

She says that, similar to what they did in the past when new restrictions were put in place, it is important that companies and individuals understand the changes.

“Our first goal always, especially when there are changes in any kind of direction, is to make sure we are educating,” says Dupuis. “We may provide a lot of infringement notices, as we call them, and if we see something that is not right, we will work with companies to educate and make sure they understand the rules that apply to them.”

Dupuis says there were also multiple charges. An exact number of charges was not published.

“Overall, again, this is nothing new, we continue to see compliance challenges related to masking and adherence to personal protective equipment, which is really important,” adds Dupuis.

The health unit is trying to clear up the confusion with the new measures. Dupuis says the 10-person limit for social gatherings is also in effect for restaurants and bars. This means that no more than 10 people should be seated at a table.

“Social gatherings are for no more than 10 people, so again, if it’s in a restaurant or anywhere else, it’s 10 people,” he says. “So you shouldn’t be looking at a meeting or a table for more than 10 people.”

Another point of clarification is about vacation meetings at the workplace, which are prohibited in the letter.

“We have asked workplaces not to hold meetings during the holidays, which is why they are prohibited by the Letter of Instruction,” says Dupuis. “It really doesn’t matter where they happen, whether it’s the workplace or the restaurant, workplace meetings are forbidden. We ask that workplaces really have those virtual ones.”

Reference-windsor.ctvnews.ca

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