We're now more than 24-hours into the province's stay at home order, and Windsor's mayor is looking to clear things up when it comes to enforcement.
Drew Dilkens says the city has been receiving phone calls and emails from residents asking a number of questions when it comes to what's allowed and what's not under Ontario's latest state of emergency.
Dilkens says all provincial offences officers, including police officers, have the right to break up public gatherings, close a premise if they believe a gathering is taking place and individuals are required to provide their personal information if asked.
He says make sure you know the rules.
"The penalties are quite severe under the Emergency Management Act for failing to do what is listed here. So I advise everyone to really understand what has changed. The officers certainly have more authority and more power now to execute some of the rules that are in place," says Dilkens.
He says there have been a number of protests and those attending are being charged.
"Both, on social media and I've received questions in the past, with respect to some of the demonstrations that have happened, the anti-mask rallies that you see at the waterfront, police have not been ignoring that situation. What you may or may not see and what you may or may not know is behind the scenes summons are being issued to people who are being identified," says Dilkens.
He says officers are on the ground and have been issuing tickets.
"I've received emails where people are saying that we're simply doing nothing and I want the public to know that it's absolutely not the case," says Dilkens. "I can assure you that the chief and the team are issuing summonses which are tickets. These people will have to attend a court and answer to a justice of the peace."
The stay-at-home order was announced earlier this week as the province declared its second state of emergency since the pandemic began in an effort to slow the spread of COVID-19.
Residents are required to stay home except for essential purposes such as grocery shopping, accessing health care, exercising or travelling to and from work.
Outdoor gatherings are now limited to five people while masks are recommended to be worn outdoors and stores offering curbside pickup must limit their hours between 7 a.m. and 8 p.m. — essential retailers like grocery stores are exempt.