Chatham-Kent Police will be keeping close tabs on a planned protest against COVID restrictions in Chatham this coming weekend.
The local group Hugs Over Masks is planning a rally on November 21st to protest COVID restrictions.
Mayor Darrin Canniff says the idea of having a large gathering of people who aren’t distancing or adhering to other safety protocols is very concerning.
“The provincial law says thou shalt not have a gathering over 100 people outside, an organized rally,” Canniff says. “I know that the police are paying very special attention to that and they will go to the full extent of the law in terms of warnings and fines.”
Similar rallies in Aylmer and St Thomas the past few weeks have drawn fairly large crowds, including protesters from out of town.
“Our numbers are going up, across the country and here in the municipality,” Canniff says. “A lot of people’s livelihoods depend on us keeping the cases lower. If we start getting more and more cases here, businesses will be forced to start closing.”
A number of rallies were held in downtown Chatham after the mandatory mask bylaw came into effect in August, but municipal officials say their numbers have been dwindling the last few months.
Canniff says it’s not lost on him the irony of holding an anti-restriction rally the same day as the Chatham-Kent community is coming together to support non-profit organizations that are suffering because of the pandemic with The Gift donation drive.
Organizers are also asking those in attendance to bring donations for The Gift fundraiser.
