City bylaw received six calls about businesses and around 15 calls about residential gatherings over the weekend, with two charges issued at one of the residences.
Another complaint was made Monday morning.
“It was steady, no one was taken by surprise,” said city spokesperson Stacey Hare about the number of calls they received on Saturday and Sunday.
“It wasn’t like an avalanche of calls, but we expected as much given the provincial announcement.”
She adds no warnings were given out to residents or businesses, but officers did speak with one group at one residence.
“They were just conversations, they were nothing too formal,” she explains.
Bylaw officers also conducted inspections of big box stores in the city and issued no charges or warnings to retailers.
“We did do inspections over the weekend at large, big box stores, and did find them to be in compliance,” said Hare, “We didn’t have the same issue as other locations, but our bylaw officers were at those stores.”
For those who are curious about where these charges and warnings are coming from, the City of Guelph has created a map which can be accessed online here.
When it comes to following provincial orders, Hare said provincial research has found more people were compliant at the beginning of the pandemic versus now.
“It’s really hard to go back in,” she said, “The province has tried and we are trying to remind people to take this as seriously as we did back in March and April.”
However, with Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph Public Health reporting a drop in new COVID cases, Hare said she hopes that this is the start of a new trend for the region.
“We’re grateful that most people in Guelph are following the guidelines,” said Hare, “And hopefully this little bit of good news helps reinforce the idea that, hang in there.”
