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TO: The Mayor and City Council
FROM: The Law Department
DATE: May 4, 2020
SUBJECT:
The State of Emergency in the City of Aurora Related to COVID-19
PURPOSE:
To align the state of emergency in the City of Aurora with the statewide state of emergency related to the COVID-19 Pandemic.
BACKGROUND:
Since March 2020, the State of Illinois and the City have operated under a state of emergency due to the ongoing novel coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic. Mayor Irvin initially declared a state of emergency on March 18, 2020, and the City Council confirmed the emergency on April 1, 2020, authorizing the Mayor to continue to exercise certain powers under Section 2-45 of the Code of the City Code to facilitate the City's response to the crisis until May 15.
Pursuant to an initial state of emergency declared in March and to stem the spread of the virus, Governor Pritzker issued a series of executive orders which closed bars and restaurants for on-site service and later banned most gatherings and closed all but what his order defined as essential businesses and operations. City offices have been closed to the public since March 19.
On April 30, 2020, Governor Pritzker issued a second proclamation declaring a state of emergency in Illinois due to the COVID-19 pandemic and re-issued approximately 25 of his COVID-19-related executive orders. These orders will continue to affect the way the City is able to conduct its operations, and in particular, continue to prevent the deliberative bodies of the City, including the City Council, from conducting its business according to City Ordinance. The orders have also significantly impacted businesses located within the City. To compensate for this, the Mayor has issued a series of orders pursuant to Section 2-45 of the City Code, to facilitate the ongoing operations of the City, and to lessen the adverse impact of the Governor's order on businesses.
Though the Governor's authority to re-proclaim a state of emergency and continu...
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