Coronavirus Citations: Kane County Sheriff Ready To Issue Fines

KANE COUNTY, IL — Businesses in Kane County could soon face misdemeanor citations if they do not follow public health guidelines amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Sheriff Ron Hain recently said his deputies can enforce Illinois Department of Public Health's mask mandate and capacity limits on businesses “now that we have teeth behind us,” according to a report by the Aurora Beacon-News.

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Gov. J. B. Pritzker issued new rules last month giving county health and local law enforcement agencies authority to issue fines of up to $2,500 to businesses and other organizations that do not follow the state's public health guidelines.

The IDPH's new administrative rules also allow local public health departments to close schools and day cares in response to coronavirus outbreaks, and to conduct contact tracing and other coronavirus-related investigations in private businesses.

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Only businesses, facilities, organizations and services open to the public or employees can be fined can be fined under the rules. Individuals — including customers, employees and business owners — cannot be sanctioned.

Public health officials must first give businesses a written warning and a written order to disperse before issuing citations.

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The administrative rules require businesses to make “reasonable efforts” to enforce the state’s mask mandate and capacity limits, such as offering face coverings to customers and asking those who refuse to wear a mask to leave.

Hain told a Kane County Board committee last week that he has spoken with the Kane County State’s Attorney’s Office and police chiefs about how to enforce the public health guidelines, the Beacon-News reports.

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Sheriff’s deputies will be mainly responsible for enforcing the guidelines in Aurora and Carpentersville, while other municipalities will use their own police departments for enforcement, the report states.

The Kane County Sheriff’s Office has not yet issued any citations related to coronavirus restrictions, and Hain said he doesn’t think deputies will be forced to write tickets, according to the report.

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Hain said he has met with several business owners whose establishments weren’t following public health guidelines, and all later passed compliance checks, the Beacon-News reports.

Aurora Mayor Richard Irvin said last week that the city’s police department also has yet to issue a coronavirus-related citation. Aurora city and police officials have said they are working to educate businesses about the guidelines instead of immediately issuing fines.

'Mask-Free' Policy At Coffee Shop Draws Warning From Health Dept.

Luau Coffee in Campton Hills received a warning from the Kane County Health Department in August after a sign on the door proclaimed it to be a “mask-free environment.”

Health department officials issued a notice of non-compliance to the business for flouting safety guidelines by not requiring customers to wear face coverings. Signs of the coffee shop’s doors also warned customers that they would be entering at their own risk.

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