Breaking Coronavirus Quarantine In Illinois Could Mean Serious Legal Consequences

CHICAGO (CBS) -- Police in Kentucky were outside a home Tuesday night, making sure a man who tested positive for coronavirus stays in quarantine.

The man refused to do it on his own, after checking himself out of the hospital.

As CBS 2's Tara Molina has learned, the same thing could happen in Illinois, where there are specific laws applying to a pandemic like this.

CBS 2 Legal Analyst Irv Miller said those laws have never actually had to be enforced in Illinois. But they can lead to arrest, prison time, and fines for a person who refuses quarantine.

As of Tuesday, there were 160 people with the coronavirus in 15 counties here in Illinois right now. They are all following health guidelines and quarantines.

But if someone contracted the virus and didn't? If someone refused to quarantine after being ordered to do so?

They'd be subject to arrest for breaking a state law.

"It would be a Class A misdemeanor in Illinois which carries a potential penalty of up to a year in jail and a potential $2,500 fine," Miller said.

Miller said what we're seeing in Kentucky could happen in Illinois too.

"That could be an absolute reality. Totally legal," he said. "And if a person does not comply in Illinois that person is subject to being arrested and put in jail in order to enforce this."

As for the rules and regulations just put in place by Gov. JB Pritzker in the interest of social distancing, Miller said, "They are really strong rules."

The rule closed bars and restaurants across the state. Miller said noncompliance would affect their ability to run their business once this ends.

"They have liquor licenses," Miller said. "And you don't want to have your liquor license suspended in the future because you didn't obey the licensing authority."

We checked in with Chicago Police and the city's office of Business Affairs and Consumer Protection. They say they are enforcing the bar and restaurant closures and have teams sharing information and monitoring bar and restaurant compliance.

On Tuesday night, one full day after the bars and restaurants closed, CPD says there have been no compliance issues to report. u