Reaction has been swift following a video showing thousands of people enjoying attractions on Clifton Hill in Niagara Falls over the weekend.
The video which was put up on YouTube yesterday shows crowds not physically distancing, and almost no one wearing a mask.
Masks are not mandatory in Niagara Falls. Only St. Catharines and Niagara-on-the-Lake have approved mandatory mask by-laws. Regional Council will debate the issue Thursday night.
Niagara's Acting Medical Officer of Health Dr. Mustafa Hirji calls the video disappointing.
He says we saw a similar careless scenario unfold in the U.S. two months ago and look what happened.
He is calling on bylaw enforcement officers and police to step in when there are crowding situations like in the video.
Hirji is calling on residents, businesses, opinion leaders, and enforcement agencies to step up and practice distancing, handwashing, and to wear a mask when you can't distance.
The video titled 'SHUT DOWN Niagara Falls' was first posted yesterday by an account known as Amusement Insiders.
Since then, it has been viewed more than 70,000 times.
The publisher questions why Clifton Hill is allowed to reopen, while Canada's Wonderland, which has proposed COVID-19 measures to protect guests, is not permited to do the same.