Oak Park residents ordered to shelter in place for 2 weeks due to coronavirus
OAK PARK - Residents in the Chicago suburb of Oak Park are being ordered to shelter in place starting Friday because of the coronavirus pandemic.
Oak Park Mayor Anan Abu-Taleb says the shelter in place will last from Friday, March 20 to Friday, April 3.
All residents are ordered to stay in their homes and maintain social distancing of at least 6 feet from other people in shared or outdoor spaces, according to a copy of the order obtained from the village.
All “non-essential” businesses in the village are also ordered to close. However, there are exceptions to the mandate. According to a Facebook post, this includes: “businesses that provide essential services, including grocery stores, banks, convenience stores, pharmacies, restaurants for delivery and pick up only, laundromats, skilled trades essential to maintaining the safety and sanitation of residences, hardware stores, medical service providers, first responders, transportation providers, government activities and essential social service providers and shelters.”
Violating the order will be treated as a violation of the Illinois Public Health Act, a Class A misdemeanor.
More details can be found on Oak Park’s coronavirus response website.
The Illinois Department of Public Health confirmed Oak Park’s first case of COVID-19 Wednesday afternoon. That patient, a man in his 30s, is recovering at home and is in isolation, village officials said.
The Oak Park order affecting the city’s more than 52,000 residents is the first of its kind issued in Illinois. It appears similar to one issued Tuesday for the approximately 7 million people in the San Francisco metropolitan area, which asks residents to stay inside for three weeks.
MOBILE APP USERS: Click here to read the full Oak Park order
On Thursday, Illinois officials announced the total number of coronavirus cases in the state had risen to 422.
Associated Press and Sun-Times Media Wire contributed to this report.