NEW COVID-19 RESTRICTIONS INCLUDE POTENTIAL FINES FOR STAY-AT-HOME ORDER VIOLATIONS

Onerahtókha/April 17, 2021

The Mohawk Council of Akwesasne is notifying the community that Ontario announced yesterday, April 16, 2021 that it is strengthening enforcement of the province’s Stay-at-Home order while imposing new travel restrictions and further strengthening public health measures. MCA and its Dept. of Health follows the Eastern Ontario Health Unit and Ontario Ministry of Health guidelines.

These urgent actions are targeted at stopping the rapid growth in COVID-19 case rates and relieving mounting pressures on the province’s health care system.  Ontario reported a new record high of 4,812 new cases of the virus yesterday and 25 more deaths.  There are more than 700 patients in ICU for COVID-19, with 480 on ventilators.

In addition to the previous stay-at-home order limitations, the tighter restrictions in effect today as of 12:01 a.m. include:

  • Prohibit all outdoor social gatherings and organized public events, except for with members of the same household or one other person from outside that household who lives alone or a caregiver for any member of the household;
  • Close all non-essential workplaces in the construction sector;
  • Reduce capacity limits to 25 per cent in all retail settings where in-store shopping is permitted. This includes supermarkets, grocery stores, convenience stores, indoor farmers’ markets, other stores that primarily sell food and pharmacies; and,
  • Close all outdoor recreational amenities, such as golf courses, basketball courts, soccer fields, and playgrounds with limited exceptions.

The Stay-at-Home order mandates that no one should be away from their residence unless for essential purposes such as to purchase groceries, work, attend medical appointments or exercise.

Under the new enforcement measures, police officers have the authority to ask anyone outside their residence to provide their address and indicate their purpose for being outside their residence. This includes stopping vehicles and pedestrians to make these inquiries. If a police officer has reasonable grounds to believe that the individual is in violation of any of the Emergency Orders, the person will be required to identify themselves in order to facilitate the issuance of a ticket, with a fine of approximately $750. If the person refuses to identify themselves, they could be arrested and charged with a criminal offence.

Please read the province’s full measures on their website: https://news.ontario.ca/en/release/61192/ontario-strengthens-enforcement-of-stay-at-home-order

The Mohawk Council urges the community to stay home and help protect Akwesasne from further COVID-19 tragedies.  Do not gather with those from outside your household.  MCA’s community curfew remains in effect for all districts from 11 p.m. to 5 a.m. The 100-mile travel radius also remains in place and anyone arriving or returning to Akwesasne from outside 100-miles must quarantine for 14-days, for the protection of the community. Please, help us reach community immunity by getting your COVID-19 vaccine.

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