Halifax man charged for leaving municipality after traffic stop in Trenton, N.S.

A Halifax man who was stopped by police for speedingon Wednesdayhas been charged under theEmergency ManagementAct for travelling outside his municipality.

New Glasgow Regional Police say in a release that officers stopped the 32-year-old man around 9:30 a.m. in a construction zone on Trenton Connector Road in Trenton, N.S.

Police learned the driver was travelling from Halifax to New Brunswick, and was inTrenton for non-essential business.

The man was chargedfor failing to comply with direction under the Emergency Management Actwhichprohibits any non-essential travel outside an individual's own municipality to help prevent the spread of COVID-19 in Nova Scotia.

Const. Ken Macdonald said people who fail to follow provincial health directives can face fines and put other Nova Scotians'health at risk.

Fines for failing to follow public health guidelines were recently raised to $2,000 from $1,000.

New Glasgow Regional Police said the public can report violationsby calling902-752-1941.

The man was also charged under the Motor Vehicle Act for speeding.