Partygoers in Mexicali fined for violating social distancing orders

Fines can be up to $850

MEXICALI, B.C. (KYMA, KECY) - Police in Mexicali fined dozens of people for throwing parties during the coronavirus pandemic.

The city is under a two-week stay-at-home order. Parties and other social gatherings are banned as part of the governments effort to slow the spread of the illness.

Police started fining people for hosting and attending parties at the start of the order. This Sunday they ticketed 100 people caught partying outside a house.

A fine can go as high as $850, depending on the size of the gathering and the noise it generates.

Mexicali's Deputy Director of Muncipal Security, Juan Carlos Buenrostro raising public awareness about the threat from coronavirus is essential. Buenrostro says police will continue to patrol neighborhoods, and hand out fines, for the duration of the quarantine.

The state of Baja California has had the second most coronavirus deaths in Mexico. It has the third highest number of cases. Mexicali currently has 529 cases of coronavirus, and 45 deaths.