Secretary Of State Shutting Down In-Person Services At Illinois' Driver Facilities Again

From The Center Square:

By Greg Bishop

Starting Tuesday, driver services facilities in Illinois will be closed for everyone except those seeking commercial licenses.

Secretary of State Jesse White is announced Friday the facilities would close amid an increase in the spread of COVID-19.

“Illinois Secretary of State Jesse White is announcing Driver Services facilities statewide will be closed to the public for in-person transactions effective Tuesday, Nov. 17 and will reopen on Monday, Dec. 7, 2020, due to the worsening COVID-19 pandemic,” the announcement said.

The announcement suggested using the state’s online services for renewing license plate stickers, qualifying drivers license and ID cards or getting other records held by the Secretary of State.

Commercial Driver License facilities will remain open for written and road exams.

“Commercial truck drivers provide essential services by ensuring goods can be transported safely and efficiently throughout the state and country during this pandemic,” White said.

There will also be seven facilities offering drive-through services for plate sticker transactions only: Chicago North, Chicago West, Chicago South, Rockford-Central, Macomb, Springfield and Tilton.

“During the COVID-19 pandemic, we have been the only government agency open statewide offering in-person transactions,” White said. “We have remained committed to serving the public. Protecting the health and safety of our residents is my top priority, and this is the guiding principle of our decision-making.”

"Driver Services facility employees will be compensated," White spokesman Henry Haupt said. "The office is not shutting down, just in person transactions at facilities. Everyone else is still working."

Gov. J.B. Pritzker has been hinting at more statewide mitigation beyond the measures he’s ordered across the state, but he made not major announcements about a stay-at-home order Friday.

All of the state is under Phase 4 measures. Four regions are under Tier 2 measures. The restrictions being enforced locally are hitting the hospitality industry hard. For weeks, the state's seen new unemployment claims in the tens of thousands every week.

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