A dozen people are facing charges after gathering at a Halifax dock, in an offence related to COVID-19 that violated the Nova Scotia Health Protection Act.
Halifax Regional Police say they were called to a public pathway on Oakland Road just after 10:30 p.m., Tuesday after a resident reported a number of people in close proximity to one another.
Police said 12 to 15 people were gathered on a small dock and were in violation of new Public Health restrictions that came into effect last week.
As numbers of COVID-19 cases rise, N.S. health officials ordered that a maximum of five people can gather without physical distancing in the HRM.
Gatherings of more than five people can lead to charges and a $1,000 fine upon conviction.
As of last week, Halifax police have charged over 200 individuals for violating the Emergency Management Act, and over 130 people under the Health Protection Act since the pandemic began in March.
New COVID-19 regulations for parts of the HRM and Hants include:
- A maximum of five people can gather in a close social group without physical distancing.
- A household may have more than five members but they may only go outside the home in groups of five.
- Households can only have a maximum of five visitors at a time.
- A maximum of 25 people can gather with physical distancing for informal indoor and outdoor social events.
- Events run by a recognized organization can have 50 per cent of a venue’s capacity to a maximum of 100 people with physical distancing indoors, and 150 with physical distancing outdoors.