DuPage County Sheriff James Mendrick suspends eviction due to COVID-19

DuPage County Sheriff James Mendrick announced Tuesday that all court-ordered evictions will

be delayed for 30 days, effective immediately.

The move came after Sheriff Mendrick learned of a resident who was being evicted from her

apartment Monday. The woman said 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,” Sheriff 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 consultation from the DuPage Health

Department and Centers for Disease Control and assessing the status of local shelters.

The Sheriff’s Office has also 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.

The health and safety of the DuPage County Sheriff’s Office staff, inmates and the public

continue to be our primary concern.