Orange County Mayor Jerry L. Demings signed an executive order declaring a state of local emergency for Orange County, citing increase in emergency room visits, hospitalizations, and deaths related to COVID-19.
Signed on Wednesday, July 28, executive order 2021-24 affects both unincorporated and incorporated Orange County and will be in effect for seven days from the date and time it was signed. The executive order may be extended as necessary per Florida Statutes.
In addition, the Orange County Economic Recovery Task Force will reconvene to prevent the local economy from shuttering during the pandemic, Demings announced at the July 28 COVID-19 press conference.
The task force will meet on Monday, August 2, 1-2 p.m. for a virtual meeting. The meeting will be broadcast live at www.ocfl.net/orangetv.
As of Monday, July 28, the Florida Department of Health is reporting that Orange County’s 14-day rolling positivity rate is more than 15.58 percent.
Additional county statistics as of Wednesday, July 28, include:
*Orange County residents 12+ with at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine: 62.34 percent
*Single-day positivity rate for July 27: 19.18 percent
*New COVID-19 cases in Orange County: 1,371— an all-time high
*Total positive cases for Orange County residents: 160,503
*Total deaths in Orange County: 1,390
In accordance with the CDC’s recent announcement, Demings continues to strongly recommend that all vaccinated and unvaccinated residents consider wearing a mask indoors while indoors with other people.
He also asked employers to request their employees to get vaccinated and for businesses to encourage workers and patrons to wear masks when indoors.Â
At the July 28 press conference, Demings announced that all Orange County government employees will be required to wear a mask or face covering when in the presence of others inside any county facility, effective immediately.
All new and existing non-union Orange County Government employees will have until September 30 to become fully vaccinated. Employees who decide to receive a two-dose vaccine will need to receive their first shot by August 31.
The county will provide reasonable accommodations for employees who are unable to be vaccinated for documented legally covered reasons. For those employees who are in a union, the county will engage in impact bargaining with the respective collective bargaining units regarding these requirements.
The Apopka Chief and The Planter are weekly community newspapers, independently owned and family operated, that have served the greater Apopka area in Central Florida since 1923 and 1965 respectively. Subscribe today!
