CALGARY -- The City of Calgary says there have been 36 face covering tickets issued since Feb. 25, but the ticketing of Public Health Act (PHA) violations by community peace officers was temporarily halted by an expired ministerial order.

According to city officials,  there has been a total of 258 violation face mask tickets issued in Calgary since Aug. 1, 2020.

The 36 tickets issued last week is a jump over previous weeks. From Feb. 4 through Feb. 25, there was an average of 21 tickets issued each week.

Since the city declared a State of Local Emergency on Nov. 24, 2020, there have been a total of 197 PHA violation tickets issued in Calgary.

There have been no PHA tickets issued since Feb. 25 as the provincial ministerial order that permitted community peace officers to respond to violations had expired.

The City of Calgary confirmed Friday that Justice Minister Kaycee Madu had issued a new ministerial order restoring the power to peace officers.

The city's temporary face covering bylaw that requires mask use in all indoor public areas has been extended through December 2021 and penalties for non-compliance were increased in December 2020.