Five people have been charged in connection to a planned anti-lockdown rally that was held at Tecumseh Park in Chatham last week.
Almost 300 maskless people gathered at the park on April 26 for a planned "No More Lockdowns Canada" gathering.
Chatham-Kent's by-law enforcement announced charges under the Reopening Ontario Act on Friday. However, those charged have not been identified.
Municipal officials previously announced that one charge was laid following the protest.
Additional charges connected to the rally might be laid in the future. Officials said charges can be laid for up to six months following the event.
The entire province is currently under a Stay-at-Home order. Under the COVID-19 restriction, indoor and outdoor gatherings with anyone not living in the same house are not allowed, with an exception for those who live alone.
Meantime, no charges or fines were issued for an April 30 “Opening Day” event, as it was cancelled ahead of time. The campaign was announced over social media and encouraged businesses to reopen despite COVID-19 restrictions.
By-law officials said the "Opening Day" organizer announced the cancellation of the event due to a lack of interest. Inspections of the businesses associated with the event yielded no violation of current restrictions.
Chatham-Kent Public Health reported six new COVID-19 cases on Friday and four resolved cases. The number of active cases in Chatham-Kent has gone up slightly to 32. Four residents with COVID-19 are being treated in hospital.
Walpole Island currently has nine active cases of COVID-19. So far, 410 residents are fully vaccinated against the virus.
The province reported 3,166 new COVID-19 infections on Friday and 23 related deaths. To date, the province has administered 5,885,485 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine.
-With files from Paul Pedro