Windsor police say they're ready to enforce lockdown rules 'as necessary'

Windsor police say they are ready to enforce restrictions related to the region-wide lockdown that came into effect overnight on Monday.

"While our officers have endeavoured to strike a measured balance between enforcement and community support during previous zones of the public health measures, we are now in a critical stage that urgently calls for compliance," Windsor police said in a statement Sunday.

The move to the grey "lockdown" zone for Windsor-Essex was announced Friday afternoon after weeks of escalating COVID-19 cases.

Under the new framework, indoor gatherings with people outside the same household are banned and non-essential businesses can remain open for curbside pick up/delivery only.

Essential businesses such as grocery stores and pharmacies have to remain at 50 per cent capacity. 

In a news release Monday, the City of Windsor said in the last week, bylaw officers conducted 166 COVID-19 checks, 40 of which were complaints made by the community. 

During this enforcement blitz, four charges were laid -- one was related to no masking and three were in regards to no safety plan. 

Provincial COVID-19 laws come with penalties of up to $100,000 and a year in jail for individuals. A corporation could be fined up to $10 million.

Over the weekend, Windsor-Essex saw 115 new COVID-19 cases and five additional deaths were announced.