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Aylmer police charged a man for not self-isolating after returning from South America in what is believed to be Southwestern Ontario’s first charge laid under an emergency order imposed to slow the spread of COVID-19.

Aylmer police received a complaint Monday about an Aylmer man not obeying the federal order requiring Canadians returning from abroad to self-isolate for 14 days, prompting an officer warn him.

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An officer saw the man delivering a countertop in the town about 30 kilometres southeast of London the next day, police Chief Zvonko Horvat said Wednesday.

A 42-year-old man, whose name wasn’t released, was charged under the Emergency Management and Civil Protection Act. A conviction under the emergency law carries a fine of up to $100,000 and up to one year in jail.

“The message to the public is that people need to understand and take this legislation seriously. Obviously we have a crisis . . . in our communities. By doing exactly what he was doing, he was putting others at risk and officers at risk,” Horvat said.