B.C. provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry has stated several times at COVID-19 briefings in recent weeks that there are two main areas of concern where transmissions are taking place in B.C. at the moment: indoor social gatherings and workplaces.

Both of these were reflected in the violations tickets Burnaby RCMP's update on its enforcement of COVID-19 provincial health orders for the month of March that it issued on April 8.

Officers responded to a total of 40 complaints and issued six fines for social gatherings and workplace violations in March. That’s in addition to proactive checks on restaurants, lounges, and businesses.

In comparison, Burnaby RCMP had issued 10 violation tickets in February for social gatherings, workplace violations, and one quarantine violation.

The following violation tickets were issued prior to the B.C. government doubling violation fines from $230 to $575 for those attending or promoting prohibited gatherings, as of March 25.

Parties

On March 14, officers responded to a complaint about a party in the 6300 block of Kingsway. Upon arrival at the location, police found that three out of the eight people in attendance were residents at the location. Officers issued a $2,300 violation ticket to the homeowner for hosting the gathering.

Then on March 15, officers received a report about a party in the 6900 block of Frederick Avenue. Police arrived to find only one out of the seven people at the location lived there. Consequently, the homeowner received a $2,300 fine.

After that, police responded to reports about two parties on March 20.

One was in the 9300 block of Salish Court, where 10 people were present. The host was fined $2,300 for the social event.

The other was in the 6300 block of Kingsway. Police had previously received a complaint about a party at this address in January, but it had ended before officers arrived. This time, however, officers arrived and issued a $2,300 violation ticket to the host.

Workplaces

Officers responded to a complaint about a man who refused to wear a mask inside a business in the 4400 block of Hastings Street on March 15. Officers issued a $230 violation ticket to the individual.

Then on March 22, officers, in response to a complaint, issued a $230 ticket to a man who was not wearing a mask at a business in the 4700 block of Kingsway.