Today, Mayor Deborah Frank Feinen issued two new Emergency Orders in order to continue to promote community health and safety amidst the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Effective at 5 p.m. on August 19, 2020, Emergency Order 20-26 requires individuals who are over the age of two and able to medically tolerate a face mask, to cover their nose and mouth with a face covering when in public and unable to maintain at least a six-foot social distance from others. This applies to indoor spaces, like retail stores, and outdoor spaces when an individual cannot maintain a minimum six-foot distance from others. Businesses and organizations must require employees and customers to wear a face covering when people are on their premises and unable to maintain a minimum six-foot distance from others. Emergency Order 20-26 is set to expire on November 1, 2020. The requirements of this Order closely match those recently implemented by the Champaign-Urbana Public Health District and the State Department of Public Health.
Mayor Feinen also issued Emergency Order 20-27, which goes into effect at 5 p.m. on August 19, 2020, and implements new rules to promote health and safety at parties and gatherings. The Order applies social distancing requirements on properties in the Campus Area (including apartments, houses, and adjacent property like yards, parking lots, and common areas) and multifamily residential structures throughout Champaign (including residential units, common areas, yards, and parking lots). “Campus Area” is defined as the region bounded by Wright Street on the East, the Canadian National railroad tracks on the West, University Avenue on the North, and Windsor Road on the South. In both the Campus Area and multifamily residential structures, individuals at parties or gatherings must abide by social distancing requirements, including the use of face coverings and limit parties and gatherings to a maximum of ten people (plus the host and the host’s immediate family or others legally permitted to reside in the property). Party hosts and attendees violating this Emergency Order may be cited for a City Ordinance violation and fined up to $750. This Order also applies to parties or gatherings on public property, unless otherwise permitted by other emergency or executive orders or the law. Emergency Order 20-27 is set to expire on November 1, 2020.
To read the full text of both Emergency Orders, please visit the City’s website at champaignil.gov/covid-19.