St. Charles mayor orders bars to close at midnight because of COVID-19

Closing time is coming earlier for St. Charles bars and restaurants.

Because of concerns about the spread of COVID-19, St. Charles Mayor Ray Rogina on Tuesday issued an executive order requiring bars and restaurants to close at midnight starting on Friday.

"I've thought long and hard about this," Rogina said in his announcement. "I feel this action is in the best interest of the health and safety of the public. I want to take a measured approach and keep our area moving in the right direction."

There are 24 St. Charles establishments with late-night permits that allow them to stay open until either 1 a.m. or 2 a.m. Those permits will be temporarily suspended as of Friday.

Even though Kane County was removed from the Illinois Department of Health watch list on Aug. 21 - the county was added on Aug. 14 due to increases in COVID-19 cases - Rogina believes the step to close bars and restaurants early is necessary to keep the metrics trending in the right direction.

With the region in Phase 4 of the Restore Illinois Plan, regressing to Phase 3 limitations is an unwanted option.

Rogina did not indicate how long the temporary suspension of late-night permits would be in place.

"The goal is to avoid our area regressing under mitigation efforts or returning to Phase 3 of the Restore Illinois Plan," Rogina said. "It's in the late-night hours that following proper social distancing and other public health recommendations tend to become more lax."