Sarnia's mayor expressed frustration and concern again Tuesday that some people are ignoring physical distancing and gathering limitation rules during the pandemic.
Mike Bradley told Sue Storr on CHOK (103.9 FM, 1070 AM) that while the mass gathering at a Toronto park was widely publicized, there were incidents, albeit on a smaller scale, in Sarnia as well.
"There was an incident on the waterfront Saturday afternoon with some young people and some adults that I think was all over social media," said Bradley. "I received a picture about a gathering of young men in Bright's Grove last night," said Bradley. "I don't know what the answer is. I think, and this is part of the problem I think everyone in government has these days and some of it's justified, is that people aren't listening in some cases."
Bradley said increases in Ontario's case count over the weekend are being linked back to Mother's Day, and he suspects there will be a future spike resulting from the incidents of this past weekend.
He said it's increasingly difficult during summer-like weather but he warns the behaviour is delaying Ontario's reopening and there's the risk the province might roll back the easing of restrictions.
"That's what I think is really slowing down Ontario reopening the way it was planned, we're only in stage one. It's like getting a get out of jail card. When you do get one of these small freedoms and then all of sudden, for whatever reason be it Mother's Day or some other reason, we get a huge spike in the cases. Then you know the province is going to roll it back again."
The mayor said Sarnia's Primary Control Group has met daily for 69 straight days now and it's frustrating that some people are still not listening. He noted that young people are not immune and can be carriers.
The city reported Tuesday that the number of complaints and inquiries received on its information hotline has surpassed one thousand with bylaw officers issuing five fines.
-With files from Sue Storr and Dave Dentinger
