St. Charles Bars, Restaurants Must Close At Midnight: Mayor

ST. CHARLES, IL — Bars and restaurants in St. Charles will be forced to close by midnight under a new executive order signed this week by Mayor Raymond Rogina.

The executive order temporarily suspends all late-night liquor permits in the city, starting Friday. The city will refund all late-night permit fees that were paid by establishments, according to a news release.

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Rogina said he issued the executive order to ensure new coronavirus restrictions are not forced on St. Charles and surrounding areas due to rising cases. Though some residents and business owners will undoubtedly deride the order, Rogina said it is “in the best interest of the health and safety of the public.”

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“It’s in the late-night hours that following proper social distancing and other public health recommendations tend to become more lax,” Rogina said. “Signs are pointing to backsliding to Phase 3 if we don’t do something now. I want St. Charles to do its part in helping slow the spread of COVID-19 in our area.”

Kane County was placed on the Illinois Department of Public Health's warning list for new coronavirus restrictions earlier this month before being removed last week.

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Kane County Health Department Director Barbara Jeffers urged residents to continue following public health guidelines despite positive recent trends.

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"We appreciate the community's efforts in reducing the spread of the virus but caution that we should remain vigilant," Jeffers said in a news release.

Gov. J.B. Pritzker has long called on local and county officials to take the lead in implementing new coronavirus mitigation efforts before state officials step in.

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McNally’s Traditional Irish Pub owner Maurice McNally said in the release that he supported Mayor Rogina's executive order as an alternative to state-imposed restrictions.

“I support restraint as opposed to finding ourselves closed again,” he said.

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