The Canadian Press
OTTAWA – Ontario Premier Doug Ford says the quarantine system is “broken” because federal health officers are not charging people ignoring self-isolation orders for COVID-19.
Since the end of March, an emergency order under the federal Quarantine Act has required most people arriving from outside Canada to isolate themselves for 14 days, even if they don’t have symptoms.
Federal quarantine officers can lay charges with penalties of up to six months in jail and fines of $750,000, while police can issue tickets of up to $1,000.
Federal health officials say nobody has been arrested for ignoring a quarantine order, though one person was issued a summons to appear in court and 42 people have been ticketed by police.
Ford says Ontario police checks have uncovered 622 quarantine order scofflaws and is frustrated about the lack of federal charges.
A spokesman for federal Health Minister Patty Hajdu says the rules are clear and there are enforcement procedures in place for those who break them.
Ontario is reporting 170 new cases of COVID-19 today, and one new death related to the virus.
There were also 142 cases newly marked as resolved over the past 24 hours.
The total number of cases in Ontario now stands at 43,855, which includes 2,814 deaths and 39,474 cases classified as resolved.
Health Minister Christine Elliott says 28 of the province’s 34 public health units are reporting five or fewer new cases.
She says Toronto is reporting 55 new cases, York is reporting 28, and Peel is reporting 22.
The province was able to complete 24,669 tests over the previous day.
