Village of St. Joseph office closed to the public until further notice

While there has been only one confirmed case of the Coronavirus in Champaign County, following the lead of government offices around the state, village officials have closed their physical office in St. Joseph to the public.

There was no indication on the village website when they might reopen at this time.

Residents can, however, still interact with the village and leaders by phone or email during normal business hours. Staff members will be available to answer phones, respond to email and process all payments as usual.

Sewer payments are asked to be made by using the night box on the left hand side of the building. While checks and money orders are the preferred methods as they leave a paper trail to verify receipt, cash payments will be accepted by the village and a receipt will be mailed as soon as possible.

For more information contact the village office by phone at (217) 469-7371. Questions or concerns can be emailed to office manager Julie Hendrickson at julie.quednau@stjosephillinois.org or Debbie Routh at debbie.routh@stjosephillinois.org.

Secretary of State offices are now closed until March 31

All Illinois Secretary of State Driver Services Facilities statewide are now closed as per recommendation by public health experts. Offices will not be open tomorrow and are expected to reopen on April 1.

Because of the closure, expiration dates for driver’s licenses, identification (ID) cards, vehicle registrations and other transactions as well as document filings will be extended by 30 days through an emergency rule.

In an attempt to utilize social distancing, Secretary of State Jesse White said in the release that his "...office will continue to monitor the COVID-19 crisis. Expert advice, news and events involving the virus will influence the reopening date of offices and the Driver Services facilities."

There are three confirmed cases of the COVID-19 virus in the Springfield area according to Sangamon County health officials. One patient is a 71-year-old woman who is in a intensive care unit, another is a Springfield Park Board member in self-isolation at home. On Sunday, another patient was revealed to be hospitalized in Springfield.

"After careful consideration, it is clear that this decision to close offices and Driver Services facilities is the right one to make for the health and safety of Illinoisans," said White on Monday. "This important action will help prevent the spread of the COVID-19 virus."

Across Illinois, the Illinois Department of Public Health has confirmed 105 individuals out of 1,143 cases tested positive for the Coronavirus. According to the University of Virginia Survellience Dashboard, two patients have recovered from the infection. Illinois has recorded no deaths at this time, while Indiana just reported its first COVID-19 death.

White is reminding residents that many transactions with the Secretary of State’s office may be conducted online at www.cyberdriveillinois.com.

During the closure Illinois residents are encouraged to go online where they can obtaining a duplicate driver’s license or ID card; renewing a vehicle registration;renewing a standard driver’s license with the Safe Driver Renewal program; and file Business Services documents.