FOG BLOG COVID 19 UPDATE LOG: COVID CRISIS BECOMING DIRE, OVER 4300 CASES TODAY:

4362 CASES AND 34 DEATHERS REPORTED IN ONTARIO TODAY FROM COVID 19....Police in Ontario say they won't conduct random spot checks despite new powers.......Canadian Civil Liberties Association preparing to go to court to challenge new policing powers.....Less than 24 hours after the Ontario government announced police would be newly empowered to stop anyone to question their purpose for leaving home during a COVID-19 lockdown, police services across the province have taken to social media to say they have no intention of conducting "random" stops.

The announcements have largely been welcomed by people online, but others — including author and activist Desmond Cole, who has been outspoken on issues of police racism and use of force — are skeptical that it's anything more than a public relations tactic.

"All police are saying is, 'If we stop you, it will be for a good reason,'" Cole told CBC News.

"That doesn't help members of the public, Black and Indigenous people, people without a place to stay right now who are outside, disabled people who are always targeted by the police. It doesn't give us any comfort.".......Saturday marks the first day of at least four weeks of enhanced policing powers the provincial government has introduced in an attempt to curb an exponential rise in COVID-19 cases.

The new powers ostensibly enable police to ask anyone outside, including stopping vehicles, to indicate their purpose for leaving home and to provide their address. A ticket if individuals refused would cost $750.

Cole said he sees the orders as an attempt by Premier Doug Ford to shift blame as COVID-19 cases rise and more "people are scared."

"Premier Ford needs a scapegoat," he said. "So just as he did last April, he's saying individuals will now be punished for being outside."

And yet, the growing list of police services would indicate many forces don't want to take on that responsibility.

The president of the Peel Regional Police Association, for example, took to Twitter to urge the government: "Don't make cops the bad guys here!"

In a subsequent statement, Peel Police confirmed it would not conduct "random vehicle or individual stops."