The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) announced they will be making home visitations to check compliance with the 14-day self-quarantine rule, imposing fines of $750,000 to $1 million Canadian dollars and three years in jail for violators.
Canada resorted to the far-reaching measures to curb the outbreak of COVID-19, which is caused by the CCP virus, commonly known as the novel coronavirus, in its declaration of a Quarantine Act on March 25, which demands all Canadians who have come from abroad must self-quarantine for two weeks upon arrival.
However, after concerns were voiced by the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) that many citizens have not properly self-quarantined, the agency requested the RCMP to assist in enforcing the directive, mainly by performing house visits to people whose compliance the agency is not sure of, the RCMP said in a statement on Friday.
“Choosing to ignore mandatory isolation and quarantine orders is not only against the law, it’s also putting citizens, first responders, health professionals and the most vulnerable at risk of exposure to the virus,” said RCMP Commissioner Brenda Lucki, according to the statement.
Non-compliance with the self-quarantine act may be punished with a fine of $750,000 Canadian dollars, but those who endanger the lives of others willingly may face even more severe penalties up to $1 million Canadian dollars ($720,000 USD) and three years confinement.
Up until now, it was hadn’t always been clear which agency was responsible for enforcing the act in different jurisdictions.
The RCMP stated their primary objective is “playing a coordination role for all Canadian law enforcement by ensuring the appropriate police of jurisdiction is provided with the information required to conduct physical verification of compliance with the Order, including taking any enforcement actions deemed appropriate by the police of jurisdiction.”
However, RCMP detectives will use arrest only as a last resort, as the agency wants to protect its officers from infection with the virus as much as possible. Preferably, a summons or notice will be issued with a future court date for the defendant to appear.
“Our officers will speak to the person, inform them of the law, and explain the importance of compliance, as well as the potential consequences of non-compliance,” the RCMP statement further read.
Entering Canada as a Canadian dual citizen? It is REQUIRED by law to #SelfIsolate for 14-days in ????????. Be sure to check out inter-provincial measures before attempting entry into another province.
For more info on COVID-19:
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PHAC is also receiving aid from the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA), which has created so-called lookouts to keep track of all incoming border crossings and alert other law enforcement agencies in case of suspicion of non-compliance, John Ossowski, CBSA’s president announced, according to Global News.
“The CBSA will notify the Public Health Agency every time it encounters an individual who it believes has failed to comply with the order to self-isolate. The lookout information will be maintained for a period of 14 days,” he said.
The CBSA will also share its information with the United States Customs and Border Protection agency, Ossowski said.