DuPage County Sheriff delays court-ordered evictions

All court-ordered evictions in DuPage County will be delayed for 30 days, effective immediately, Sheriff James Mendrick announced Tuesday.

The move came after Mendrick learned of a resident who was being evicted from her apartment Monday. The woman said she was prepared to go to a shelter for the evening, but was turned away by several who told her they are not taking any new clients to limit exposure to the COVID-19 virus.

"Halting all evictions for 30 days is the most humane thing to do as we continue to navigate this rapidly spreading disease," Mendrick said. "While we don't want people to panic, I also want people to have a safe place to go and not be forced to sleep or live in their cars while everything gets sorted out."

Mendrick will re-evaluate the order on April 17 after consulting with the DuPage Health Department and Centers for Disease Control and assessing the status of local shelters.

The sheriff's office also has suspended all personal visits to inmates housed in the correctional facility. During this time, only clergy and attorneys will be allowed to visit inmates, but they will be screened by staff for symptoms of COVID-19 before being allowed in.

During this time, each inmate has been allotted 30 extra minutes of telephone time, at no charge, so they can keep in contact with loved ones.