British Columbians now face $25K fine, jail if they ignore public health orders over COVID-19

THE LATEST:

• People who ignorepublic health orders can now be jailed or fined upward of$25,000.
• Reselling essential supplies like food and cleaning material is now prohibited.
• The province is intervening to ensurethe supplyof food and medical supplies is secure.
• Municipal states of emergency have been suspended.

The provincial government has taken a number of "unprecedented" steps to ensure people obey public health orders, stop hoarding vital supplies and secure the flow of essential goods into B.C.'sstores and hospitals duringthe COVID-19 crisis.

People who ignorepublic health orders,including a ban on large gatherings, can now be fined upwards of $25,000. Jail time is also possible, the province said Thursday.

City bylaw officers across the province now have the power to help enforce those orders, through education and potentially gathering evidence of a violation.

The province is also cracking down on the black market byprohibiting the resale of food, medical supplies, personal protective equipment, cleaning products and other essential supplies. People who ignore the ordercan be finedup to $10,000, jailed for one year, or both.

"These are unprecedented measures for unprecedented times," said Public Safety Minister Mike Farnworth.

A new government unit has also been created toco-ordinate the distribution of vital goods and services in the province. Retailers and suppliers must now report to the unit on inventoryof critical supplies, including medical supplies for frontline workers. Bylaws that restrict the delivery of goods to certain times of the day are being suspended.

The provincial government also on Thursdaysuspended local states of emergency declared in response to the pandemic, except forthe City of Vancouver.

Enforcement on public health orders

Public health orders issued by Dr. Bonnie Henry include a ban on gatherings with 50 people or more, as well as an order for businesses to close if they can't run under physical distancing rules.

Henry declared a public health emergency on March 17, giving herselfthe power toissue verbalorders that are immediately enforceable. British Columbians have repeatedly been told to stay home as much as possible and keep at least two metres away from others when out in public to slow the spread of the coronavirus.

Premier John Horgan said strict enforcement has become necessary because some people have still refused to comply with Henry's orders.

"The orders they are not suggestions or good advice. They are the law," the premier said Thursday. "This is not a drill. This is a pandemic."

Reselling supplies now prohibited

The province has also forbidden the resale of essential supplies likefood, medical supplies, personal protective equipment and cleaning productsduring the outbreak. People who ignore the bancan be finedup to $10,000, jailed for one year, or both.

"Selfish people, hoarders ... that's who we are speaking to today," Horgan said.

The province is also going to workwith retailers to restrict the amount of vitalsuppliesshoppers can buy at one time,to help prevent stockpiling.

No 'lockdown,' premier says

Many across the province had called for a lockdown, similar to that in Ontario, ahead of Thursday's announcement. The premier said B.C. isn't taking that step at this time, but that could change if people do not listen to provincial orders.

"Dr. Henry has been abundantly clear: If you don't need to be out, stay home," said the premier.

"I think people are looking for terminology. If you want to use lockdown, fair enough," he continued. "Today, we believe we are on the right track ... if we need to do more, we will."

Local states of emergency suspended

The province on Thursday repealed anylocal states of emergency in effect in B.C. to ensure a top-down, co-ordinated response to the pandemic fromthe provincial level.The City of Vancouver is the sole exception because it has its own Charter.

"We want to reduce anxiety, we want to increase public confidence, and the best way to do that is to have a universal approach," Horgan said. "It's our view that the province is best placed [to] take the lead on these issues."

The provincedeclared a state of emergency on March 18, giving itself new powers to use emergency tools if necessary to lessen the impact of the crisiswithout requiring legislative approval.

Several municipalities across B.C. passed their own,local states of emergency withindays. Many communities gaveslightly different messages and madeslightly different rules, which led to provincial concern abouta "patchwork" of regulations from 162 separate municipalities coming into play.

Mayors were warned during a conference call Monday that acentralized approach was coming, but some municipalities were disappointed to see their local effortsstripped away.

"We were trying to get it so they were a little bit saferand felt a little bit safer," said Doug Daugert, mayor of Port Clements on Haida Gwaii.

The isolated village on the North Coast had created rules to ensurevisitors to the island self-isolatedfor two weeksand to be sureall non-essential workers stopped coming into work. Daugert said the small communities on Haida Gwaii have unique needsthat may not be metwith a provincewide response strategy.

The provincesaid Thursday suspending local states of emergencies will streamline co-ordination needed to potentially use local, publicly-owned facilities such as community centres for self-isolation, testing, medical care and warehousing during the pandemic.