Social gathering bans possible, but experience elsewhere shows public buy-in, enforcement help

Never mind whatthe law says, Manitoba's top doctor urges stay home as much as possible.

But Dr. Brent Roussin's message wasmuddied by declaringa ban on social gatherings Tuesday, followed the next day by apublic health order that contradictedhim by still allowing as many as five people to gather.

The province's chief public health officer offereda couple explanations for thediscrepancyon Thursday, ranging from the many exemptions the order would need to the challenges in actually enforcing a ban.

Yet otherjurisdictionshave found a way to do that.

A few days ago, B.C. cracked down on social gatherings by temporarilybanning anyone in the Vancouver Coastal and Fraser Health regionsfrom interacting socially withanyone outside their immediate household.

An exception was made for people living alone to spend time with "one or two other people," B.C. Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry said.

Surrey RCMPsaid the new order is "certainly" enforceable, but theyneed the public's help.

"When it comes to private residences, it's a little bit more difficult because we can't be everywhere at all times," Cpl. Joanie Sidhusaid.

"That's where we rely on members of the public to call in when they see their neighbours having people over."

$2,300 fine for 15-person party

Last week, Surrey RCMPresponded to a call of severalpeople emptying out of a van and entering a home. When they arrived, they found a house party with roughly 15 attendees.

Police levelled a $2,300 fine, Sidhu said.

Officers would prefer to issue warnings first, she said, but "in that situation, the officers were able to see that there was a clear contravention of the orders."

One ofManitoba's northernmost communitiesstarted banning all social gatherings of any kind on Thursday.

SayisiDeneFirst Nation, which has around 320 people on reserve, reported three cases of COVID-19 on Wednesday. Under the indefinite lockdown, people who knowingly disregard thestay-in-place order may receive a$1,000 fine or lose their job.

Chief Evan Yassiesaid the community is taking a "hard-line approach" because it doesn't have easy access to health care. He also wants younger people to take the virus seriously.

"We're trying to be as strict as possible to keep everybody at bay and make them aware that we are not toying around with the lives of the rest of the community," Yassie said.

Ex-Winnipegger ticketedin Germany

Former WinnipeggerAlex Pawlowskysaid receiving a ticket for disobeying gathering limits in Germany served asa stern reminder of the importance of staying apart.

Back in April,Pawlowskywas only allowed to meet with people from one other household at a time a rule heusually diligently followed.

But when he went to a park with afriend,they ran intoa mutual friend who came by for a few minutes to chat.

During a span of a few minutes, a police officer spotted them.

"Even before the ticket, I definitely wanted to respect the law, but after receiving this, it sort of hit close to home that this is something that needs to be taken extra seriously," PawlowskytoldInformation Radio hostMarcy Markusa.

The restrictions were relaxed over the summer, but he said the officers are still around, which has made some people fearful of the police.

"I'm doing my best to follow these laws and regulations, to keep myself safe and the people around me safe, but it's difficult to live with even when we're all doing our best," he said.

Psychological consequences

Winnipeg clinical psychologist Dr. JoAnnUngersaidlimiting people's social interactions has consequences forour physical and mental well-being, as well as the economy.

People bought into the lockdown in the spring, she said, because they felt the sense of urgency as thepandemic wasunfolding. But over time, fatigue has set in and it's become hard for people to understand that their sacrifice is worthwhile.

"We can talk ourselves into not following recommendations because we're not seeing the immediate impact in our lives," said the president of the Manitoba Psychological Society.

"In terms of helping people follow recommendations, it's got totake into account the psychological factors and behaviour change.And how do we harness those to really solidify people making choices consistently over a longer term?"

Winnipeg lawyer Robert Tapper said there's no question a government has the legal right to ban social gatherings and enforce penaltieswhena highly communicable disease has surfaced.

"People are expected to be reasonable, so I don't have a difficulty with that," Tapper said.

But "I don't think you'll see the government say zero socialization of any kind."