Regina police took 38 COVID-19 calls over holidays

Regina Police Service Chief Evan Bray says the force took 38 calls for service related to COVID-19 over the holidays.

He told the Greg Morgan Morning Show on Tuesday that most were complaints about large gatherings.

However, most were not as big as reported.

“We’ll be told information that there’s numerous cars outside of a house and when we get there, we find out there’s four people in the house. Three of them live there and one is a single person who was there visiting, which the guidelines we know allowed,” Bray said.

Under the COVID-19 measures instituted by the provincial government on Dec. 14, all private indoor gatherings over the holidays were limited to people who live in the same household. Those who live alone could meet with members of one consistent household, provided it comprises fewer than five people.

Bray said police also fielded between 20 and 30 calls each day from residents asking questions about what is or is not allowed.

“I think everybody was trying to find creative ways: ‘OK, fair enough, we can’t gather in the house, but what are some of the other regulations and how can we make it work in our family?’ ” Bray said.

During the holidays, police fined one person $2,800 for hosting a gathering on New Year’s Eve. That was the one ticket they wrote, Bray said.

In the case of another gathering, police let them off with a warning.

“It was a gathering that might have exceeded by one or two people but it was a family gathering and so some education took place,” Bray said.