The OPP came out with a public service announcement on Thursday morning to tell residents to stay indoors as much as possible. COVID-19 in Ontario is still continuing to spread across the province and Sgt. Kerry Schmidt is now warning all residents to avoid non-essential travel. Residents should only be leaving their house when absolutely necessary, warns the OPP. In a tweet from an empty ONroute service plaza, Sgt. Kerry Schmidt warned residents of the new social distancing rules that have been set in place across the province. "Go home and #StayHome...essential travel only," says the tweet."If you are returning home from abroad, go directly home. Stopping along the way and getting out to go shopping or picking up food defeats the purpose of self-isolation." However, that doesn't mean that you can't leave your house at all. Schmidt states that if you have to be out on the roads, whether it be for work or food, you're still allowed to travel. "Essential travel only. If you have to be out on the roads, you're allowed to travel, but again, we don't want people putting themselves and the rest of the public at risk," he states.This announcement from the OPP comes after Canada enacted mandatory isolation measures via the Quarantine Act for those who are returning to the country from abroad. Go home and #StayHome...essential travel only. If you are returning home from abroad, go directly home. Stopping along the way and getting out to go shopping or picking up food defeats the purpose of self-isolation. https://t.co/NiVUAKWStM pic.twitter.com/yiQKtfgcDf— OPP Highway Safety Division (@OPP_HSD) March 26, 2020 The self-isolation period lasts for 14 days and could come with jail time and fines to those who do not comply. Even people who are just self-monitoring, which is when you have no symptoms, are being asked to avoid crowded places and to increase their personal space from others whenever possible. In Ontario, people who fail to comply with social distancing protocols can now be fined up to $1,000 dollars. The province is still in a state of emergency, which has resulted in multiple businesses and venues closing their doors for the time being. Schools, national parks and playgrounds are also shutting down across the province as the government continues to urge everyone to social distance as much as possible.
