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The City of Toronto says it issued dozens of tickets and spoke to hundreds of people regarding violations of public health recommendations in city-owned parks amid the coronavirus pandemic on Saturday of the Easter long weekend.

Municipal Licensing & Standards (MLS) officers issued 48 tickets for the use of closed park amenities and not practising physical distancing. This accounts for 32 per cent of the total number of tickets issued since the enforcement blitz began on April 3.

The city said 286 people were spoken to about the use of park amenities and social distancing, which is an 83 per cent decrease from Friday.

“The advice from Toronto’s public health officials has been clear and consistent: to stop the community spread of this deadly virus, we must reduce all contact with others as much as possible,” the city said in a statement.

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It also added that complaints to 311 about park behaviour decreased by almost 39 per cent from the previous day.

Tickets are issued to any two people who don’t live together and who fail to keep two metres of distance apart in a public square or park. These violators can receive a maximum fine of $1,000.

Failure to identify oneself to an officer investigating a matter under the Emergency Measures and Civil Protection Act results in a fine of $750.

The city said officers reported ongoing issues with people and groups with off-leash dogs in Trinity Bellwoods Park, people lingering in Muskoka chairs and people starting bonfires in waterfront parks.

Toronto Public Health on Sunday reported 2,225 cases of COVID-19 in Toronto — 1,956 cases are confirmed, 269 are probable and 208 patients are in hospital with 85 in an intensive care unit.