EDMONTON -- Despite peace officers handing out more than 100 warnings over the weekend, Edmonton Mayor Don Iveson says compliance with COVID-19 health measures has been good overall.
Of the 133 verbal warnings given by peace officers on May 23 and 24, 118 of those were for people not following physical distancing guidelines, six were for people in closed areas, five were given to people at off-leash dog parks, one was for a mass gathering, and two were for "other" reasons.
No tickets were handed out by officers on the weekend, despite the high number of warnings given to Edmontonians.
"The million Edmontonians are governing themselves well," said Iveson. "And even those who are making mistakes are taking the warnings in stride and deferring to the measures that are there for their protection."
The city is seeing overall good compliance, even with Edmontonians heading out of the house to enjoy the warmer weather.
The mayor says the city will continue to inspect and monitor the situation for any changes, and that enforcement could ramp up if necessary.
"All of those options are available to us if we start to see major risks of community transmission because of lack of observation of the public health requirements around distancing and mass gatherings," said Iveson.
Playgrounds, outdoor fitness parks and sports courts reopened May 22.
Up-to-date statistics on the number of tickets and warnings handed out are available on the City of Edmonton's website.
