A Burnaby karaoke bar doesn’t seem to be getting the message about compliance with rules designed to stop the spread of COVID-19.
The same karaoke business was busted twice on consecutive weekends last month for continuing to operate in contravention of the COVID-19 Related Measures Act, according to a Burnaby RCMP news release.
Police, who declined to release the name of the bar or even the part of the city it's in, have issued the business two $2,300 tickets, the first in the early morning hours of Oct. 10 and the second in the late evening of Oct. 17, according to the release.
“Karaoke is specifically prohibited and the officer also witnessed a number of people not distancing or wearing masks at the location,” the release stated.
Karaoke singing is banned under B.C. public health orders covering gatherings, events, and food- and liquor-serving premises.
In September, a single karaoke event at a Quebec City bar was ground zero for a super-spreader event that ended up infecting more than 80 people, according to news reports.
Burnaby RCMP is releasing monthly updates summarizing the work of its COVID compliance enforcement team and City of Burnaby bylaw officers in order to keep the community informed about enforcement actions through the COVID-19 pandemic.
Officers are seeing a high level of compliance with public health orders, noted the latest update.
The two tickets issued to the karaoke bar were the only enforcement actions police reported for the month of October.
