Lawrence suspends parking enforcement for at least 2 weeks

photo by: Nick Krug/Journal-World File Photo

A City of Lawrence parking ticket is pictured in this file photo from March 2011.

Lawrence has suspended enforcement of parking meters, lots and garages for at least two weeks, the city announced Tuesday.

The change comes as many city services and downtown Lawrence businesses limit operations because of the spread of the coronavirus, COVID-19.

The city said in a news release that it will still ticket illegally parked vehicles, including those in front of fire hydrants and in no parking zones, as well as vehicles parked in accessible spaces without proper tags.

The city on Monday canceled all nonessential dockets in Lawrence Municipal Court, which handles city ordinance violations including traffic and parking tickets. Defendants with pending traffic or parking cases will be notified of a new court date by phone and mail, the city previously said.

Before the city resumes regular parking enforcement, it will make another announcement on its website and social media channels.

More coverage: Coronavirus (COVID-19)

As the pandemic continues, the Journal-World will be making coverage of COVID-19 available outside of the paywall on LJWorld.com.

Find all coverage of city, county and state responses to the virus at: ljworld.com/coronavirus/

What to do if you think you may have COVID-19

Patients who have symptoms — difficulty breathing, cough and fever — should stay home, immediately isolate themselves from others and call their health care providers. Patients should never show up unannounced at a medical office or hospital. Instead, they should call ahead to explain their symptoms and give health care workers the ability to minimize the risk to others.

If patients do not have health care providers, they may call the Lawrence Douglas-County health department’s coronavirus line, 785-856-4343.

For updated information on the outbreak, Kansas residents can email COVID-19@ks.gov or call 866-534-3463 (866-KDHEINF), which is staffed 8 a.m. to 7 p.m., Monday through Friday; 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday; and 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday.

More information can be found through the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s website, the Kansas Department of Health and Environment’s website or the Lawrence-Douglas County Public Health website.