Newfoundland and Labrador marked 40 days and 40 nights Tuesday without any new confirmed cases of COVID-19.
But the health minister wasn’t in the mood to celebrate after seeing images of crowded bars on George Street in St. John’s on the weekend.
“Quite frankly, on Monday when I saw that, if I could I would have written the ticket myself, but Health doesn’t have an enforcement arm,” Health Minister Dr. John Haggie told The Telegram. “We educate and encourage.”
Haggie did confirm public health officials consulted with Service NL about the possibility of taking action under occupational health and safety legislation. That department shut down work on a construction site over public health restrictions early in the pandemic, he noted.
"Quite frankly, on Monday when I saw that, if I could I would have written the ticket myself, but Health doesn’t have an enforcement arm." — Health Minister John Haggie
He said other “levers” for action include the Newfoundland and Labrador Liquor Corp. and the police.
Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr. Janice Fitzgerald expressed similar concerns last week over images of crowded bars the previous weekend. Bars have been allowed to open at 50 per cent capacity since Alert Level 2 was declared on June 25.
So far, there has been no word of action being taken against any establishments.
Meanwhile, none of the other Atlantic provinces reported new cases Tuesday. P.E.I. reported five cases over the weekend, but contact tracing has turned up nothing since.
Active cases in P.E.I., Nova Scotia and New Brunswick stand at five, four and one, respectively.
Atlantic Canadians have been free to cross-regional borders without isolating since July 3.
More than 19,000 people have been tested in this province since the COVID-19 pandemic began. That represents almost 3.7 per cent of the population.
Peter Jackson is a Local Journalism Initiative reporter covering health for The Telegram.
@StJohnsTelegram