Newmarket’s bylaw enforcement continued its emphasis on education this past week as it issued 119 warnings to residents about physical distancing and social gathering rules to help stop the spread of COVID-19.
No fines were issued as bylaw officers patrolled the town's 45 parks and interacted more than 2,400 times with citizens who were out and about.
There continues to be an increase in the number of complaints received by the town for social gatherings in private residences, and many residents voiced concern about bicycles on Newmarket’s trail system.
There was also an upswing in complaints about teenagers and small groups of people playing on sport fields that have been closed to stop the spread of the coronavirus.
This past Sunday alone saw 1,420 interactions or observations with 44 residents about various public health measures in place. They were warned through education and voluntary compliance, regulatory services manager Flynn Scott reported.
Here's the summary of complaint calls:
- 15 about use of parks, down from 25 the previous week;
- 22 about essential and non-essential business activities, up from 20 the previous week;
- 46 about lack of physical distancing, or keeping six feet apart from others when out in public or shopping.
General inquiries about COVID-19 are also up this week with 29 calls (24 the previous week).
