A man in Gillam was ticketed by RCMP April 25 with failing to comply with a public emergency order for refusing to self-isolate.
Gillam RCMP officers were notified that an adult male had been instructed by medical staff at the hospital in Gillam to self-isolate for 14 days while awaiting the results of a COVID-19 test. The man told medical staff he would not comply and left the hospital on foot. Officers later located the man and told him he needed to return home to self-isolate and offered him a ride but he refused and received a ticket for failing to comply with a public emergency order under the Public Health Act.
That call was one of 99 related to COVID-19 that Manitoba RCMP responded to around the province April 21-27, mostly reports of 10 or more people gathering together.
Most calls did not fall under the purview of the RCMP or were resolved through education and guidance provided by responding officers. In seven instances, officers attending the location of a complaint gave verbal warnings.
From April 14-20, RCMP officers in the province received 101 coronavirus pandemic related calls, issuing six verbal warnings as well as $486 tickets to a 43-year-old male, a 26-year-old male and a 25-year-old female in The Pas after responding to a call about a house party. The three became belligerent with police, RCMP said in a press release.
From April 8-13 Manitoba RCMP responded to 64 COVID-19 related calls, issuing 18 verbal warnings.
Thompson RCMP Staff Sgt. Chris Hastie told the Thompson Citizen in mid-April that there seemed to have been a moderate reduction in the number of overall calls the detachment received in the last week of March and the first week of April, though the volume of traffic offences and reports of driving violations was relatively stable.
“There are still reports being made of intoxicated disturbances, public disturbances, crimes against persons, thefts, mental health/well-being checks missing persons, etc. but mainly the total volume of all these complaints has been reduced.,” Hastie said. “I think the additional RCMP and community safety officer presence at the City Centre Mall, the MLCC and the Walmart has been quite beneficial over the last couple of weeks and reduced some complaints which could have been dispatched to the police.”
Manitobans living outside of Winnipeg should not call 911 for COVID-19 related issues. Reports of non-compliance can be made to the Manitoba Government Inquiry line at 1-866-626-4862.
