Surrey COVID-19 team checks 106 locations to ensure health orders followed over the weekend

SURREY (NEWS 1130) — Surrey’s COVID-19 Compliance and Enforcement team was busy this weekend, checking out 106 locations across the city, looking for people or businesses not following social distancing rules.

Corporal Elenore Sturko is with the Surrey RCMP and says, while no fines were handed out, seven warnings were issued.

“We have had a lot of success, talking to people doing some education, bringing them into compliance without having to issue any fines. This is a time when a lot of people are feeling a lot of financial stress,” she says.

She explains they want to educate the public and prevent any contraventions of pubic health and safety orders.

“If there is a way that we can bring people into compliance without having to issue fines is obviously going to be, as a community response, a preferred thing for us to do. So people will see us out and about in Surrey,” Sturko adds.

She says the team will follow up where warnings were issued, to make sure those businesses or locations are complying with the rules.

The team was also checking out Crescent Beach Sunday after reports of how busy it was, but Sturko says people there were keeping their distance.

Surrey’s compliance team is made up of law enforcement officers and members from the city’s bylaw services. It proactively checks up places around the city to ensure public health orders are being followed.

Those wishing to report a violation of a public health order can contact the City of Surrey Bylaw Call Centre at 604-591-4370 between the hours of 7:30 am 6:00 pm, seven days a week. Outside of that time, call the Surrey RCMP non-emergency line at 604-599-0502.