Overnight Parking Ban Lifted In Oswego Amid Coronavirus Closures

OSWEGO, IL — Mayor Troy Parlier signed an executive order on Tuesday, March 23 with two main effects. The first removes the ban on overnight parking throughout the village; in most of areas of Oswego it is illegal to leave a car parked on the street overnight. The second part of the order forbids those exhibiting signs of illness from participating in real estate home showings.

The first part of the order, regarding the village's relaxed attitude toward street parking, was implemented with the idea that a population in self-quarantine needs more space to park their cars at home.

"Since we are telling people to stay at home, we assume that there are more people staying at home," Community Engagement Coordinator Jenette Sturges said. "Like if you have college kids that were away at school, they're probably back home... those types of things can make for a tighter parking situation in some neighborhoods."

The overnight parking ban will be lifted until April 15, at which point the coronavirus situation will be re-assessed.

The order regarding real estate showings was issued as a way to ensure coronavirus or other illnesses do not spread into people's homes unawares. For people who are ill or believe they may be ill, the order is more of a request to be respectful of social distancing and self-quarantining procedures than an actual command; Sturges said the village had no intention of siccing the police on sick people.

"We have not been sending out cops to be policing whether or not people are sick... it really is a self-enforcement sort of a thing," Sturges said. "That said, if someone is showing a home and it turns into a belligerent thing with someone with a terrible cough and a fever, [the real estate agent] can always feel free to call the police."

To keep up with the latest coronavirus developments in Oswego, village residents are encouraged to regularly check the Oswego coronavirus response page. Village residents can also call Oswego Village Hall at 630-554-3618 or email info@oswegoil.org for more information. As many village employees are working from home, staff asks that residents allow extra time for a response.

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