Niagara Regional Police were out in full force Thursday night, issuing tickets for New Year's Eve gatherings that violated the province's COVID-19 restrictions.

Const. Philip Gavin said while he couldn't provide region-wide numbers for COVID-19 enforcement, police issued more than 50 tickets between St. Catharines and Niagara Falls in relation to the COVID-19 Reopening of Ontario Act. 

Gavin said NRP officers, along with Niagara Falls bylaw officers, “attended multiple short-term rental accommodations where parties and groups gathered. Tickets were issued at multiple locations.”

He said investigations into some of those events and locations will be ongoing.

Hotels, some of which had police officers stationed at them, reported “minimal issues, with hotel staff monitoring and addressing COVID-19 issues quickly.”

Officers in St. Catharines attended multiple house parties and gatherings and “issued tickets accordingly,” Gavin said.

He added there were five arrests for impaired driving throughout the region, with three of them occuring between 3:45 a.m. and 5:45 a.m.

Traffic was also congested in the Clifton Hill area, he said.

“Many of the motorists officers spoke to were from outside of Niagara.”