PORT HOPE, ON (January 3, 2022) - A local Minden restaurant has consented to an Order of the Superior Court of Justice to close after failing to comply with a Section 22 order issued by the local Medical Officer of Health.

On December 14, staff from the Haliburton, Kawartha, Pine Ridge District Health Unit served the owner/operator of Minden’s 50 Diner with a Section 22 Order. The Section 22 Order was issued under the Health Protection and Promotion Act which governs the prevention of the spread of disease and the promotion and protection of the health of the people of Ontario. The Order required the owner to comply with all provincial measures for restaurants required by the Reopening Ontario Act, and associated regulations, or to close the premises.

The Section 22 order came after HKPR staff received multiple complaints about the restaurant not following provincial COVID-19 regulations. Health Unit staff visited the site multiple times to provide information and education to the owner before progressing to further enforcement measures.

On December 23, a Superior Court judge made an order with the consent of the parties, that the restaurant remain closed until further order of the court.

“Because patrons are not always fully masked while in a food premise, the province’s Reopening Ontario Act requires that restaurants take additional actions to prevent spread of COVID-19,” says Dr. Natalie Bocking, Medical Officer of Health for the HKPR District Health Unit. “By not complying with provincial regulations for indoor masking and proof of vaccination, operators put their staff and customers at risk”.

“We are grateful to the many operators in our region who continue to work with HKPR in meeting the provincial requirements and helping to prevent the spread of COVID-19,” she says.

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