Today, City Council voted to give City of Vancouver staff the power to enforce orders under its existing State of Emergency bylaw, including the ability to prosecute breaches of emergency orders, and the ability to issue tickets.

The bylaw revisions passed today would allow for $1,000 tickets and prosecution of breaches of the order subject to fines of up to $50,000.

This bylaw is one tool in the City’s toolkit to help limit the spread of COVID-19. It should help ensure businesses follow the orders issued under the bylaw.

All dine-in options at local establishments shut down

Last week, the City of Vancouver shut down all dine-in options at local establishments. This is currently the only order under the bylaw. Over the past two days, inspectors visited more than 1,600 restaurants and identified 14 cases of non-compliance with the order.

The City is pleased to see how responsive restaurant owners have been to date and thanks the vast majority of businesses that are taking direction from the City and from public health officials seriously.

Park facilities, playgrounds, and parking lots closed

Some people in Vancouver continue to gather in large crowds at our parks and beaches. In addition to previously-announced facilities and playground closures, the Vancouver Park Board is now closing parking lots at high-traffic outdoor destinations.

Beaches and parks remain open, but may be closed and an order may be issued in the near future if people continue to gather in groups at these locations.

Prevent the spread of COVID-19

All City of Vancouver facilities and service delivery information can be found on the City of Vancouver’s website at vancouver.ca/covid19.

To prevent the spread of COVID-19 in people should:

• Stay home
• Wash hands frequently and avoid touching their face
• Maintain a two-metre distance between themselves and others

We appreciate there is a lot of information circulating at this time, and not all of it is coming from verified sources. All updates from the City of Vancouver will be noted within our news releases, on our website and our verified social feeds. Residents are encouraged to follow @CityofVancouver on Twitter to receive the latest updates on COVID-19 response.

The City of Vancouver continues to work with public health officials and multiple partners on the COVID-19 response.