Thompson woman accused of holding 2 parties among latest fined for breaking COVID-19 rules

A woman in Thompson accused of holding parties in her apartment twice over the weekend was among those ticketed by Manitobaenforcement officers last week.

Between April 12 and 18, officers gave out 21 tickets last week to Manitobans accused of breaking COVID-19 regulations, including eight to people who allegedly held gatherings, the province said in a Tuesday news release.

Police in Thompsonwere called around 11:30 p.m. Saturday about a party at an apartment on Cree Road, according to RCMP.

When they got there, they heard loud music and saw several people inside a woman's apartment, police said in a Tuesday news release.

The tenant, a 25-year-old woman, wasgiven a $1,296 ticket for failing to comply with the province's public health orders. Her guests were ordered to leave but were not ticketed, the RCMP's news release said.

The next day, police were called about another gathering at the same apartment just after 8 p.m.

Once again, officers saw multiple people inside the unit, and fined the 25-year-old woman $1,296 for a second time.

Under tightenedrestrictions introduced this week, indoor gatherings are limited totwo designated visitors in a private residence. As of last week, people had the option to designate two visitors or create a bubble with another household, but that secondoption has now been eliminated.

4 businesses fined

Among the 21 tickets given out last week, 14 finesfor $1,296 each were given to individuals for various offences and three $5,150 tickets were issued to people who allegedly broke the federal Quarantine Act.

Four tickets for $5,000 were given to businesses: Christian Church of Morden received two $5,000 tickets last week, while Flea Whiskey'sand Original Joe's Restaurant & Bar in Winnipeg each received one.

In total, Manitobans were fined $53,594 for allegedly breaking public health orders.