Peel, South Simcoe police tell public to stop calling 911 for stay-at-home questions
Posted January 14, 2021 2:34 pm.
An emergency order doesn’t warrant an emergency call.
That’s the message from at least two Ontario police forces that say their 911 operators are being inundated with questions about the province’s latest stay-at-home order that went into effect at 12:01 a.m. Thursday.
Peel regional police tweeted that its “communicators are being overwhelmed with 911 calls” about the new orders and urged the public to call 311 or visit the government’s website for clarity.
Our Communicators are being overwhelmed with 911 calls asking about the Stay-at-Home orders.
For your COVID-related questions, please call 311 or click on the link below to assist you. https://t.co/eNtEMTzTveSave 911 for emergencies. pic.twitter.com/dCTRMWl8NP
— Peel Regional Police (@PeelPolice) January 14, 2021
South Simcoe police tweeted out a similar message, imploring the public to avoid tying up emergency lines with questions about the order.
Our 911 Communicators are receiving lots of calls with questions about the Stay-At-Home Order.
Please don’t tie up emergency lines with these inquiries.
Visit the Ontario government website for all the details https://t.co/CXtXeAVEK2 #StayAtHome#StaySafe pic.twitter.com/vsa7cZNsk5
— South Simcoe Police (@SouthSimcoePS) January 14, 2021
The stay-at-home order requires residents to stay home except for essential outings, such as accessing health care, shopping for groceries, or outdoor exercise, and will remain in effect for 28 days.
The province has said there’s no set definition for what is “essential” because everyone has their own unique circumstances and regional considerations
RELATED: Ontario stay-at-home COVID-19 FAQ: clarifying the confusion
Premier Doug Ford has urged people to use their “best judgment” in deciding whether to go out.
The province also says police and bylaw officers will have the power to enforce the stay-at-home order and issue tickets to rule-breakers.
