Orlando Mayor Jerry Demings said he is considering loosening mask mandates. “We are working with the department of health on a plan to phase reducing requirements of wearing facial coverings and social distancing,” Demings said. “We are reviewing how CDC requirements are evolving along with COVID infection data and a plan will be announced soon.” he said.
Demings has previously stated that the mandate could end entirely once more than 70% the county is fully vaccinated. His hope is to lift the mandate by June depending if there is still COVID-19 spread. As of April 5, 2021, there are two cases of the highly contagious and potentially more dangerous South African variant of COVID-19 in Orange County.
As of April 19, 2021, 53.5% of Orange County’s residents 40+ have had at least one dose of vaccine. 29.7% of all Orange County residents have had one dose of the vaccine. Orange County now has 120 vaccination sites available. Demand has dropped for vaccinations a the Convention Center site.
AdventHealth, in partnership with Orange County Government and the Florida Department of Health in Orange County, is hosting a Town Hall to discuss vaccine hesitancy with community leaders. The Town Hall will take place on Monday, April 26, 2021 at 4:30 p.m. and you can view it live on Orange TV at ocfl.net/OTVLive.
There were 2,765 new cases of COVID-19 on April 30, 2021 and 14 deaths. There have been 1,270 deaths since March 1, 2021. According to the Florida Community Dashboard, Orange County Florida does NOT meet the criteria for the next phase of reopening.
Decrease in ER Visits for COVID-like illness: NO
Decrease in ER Visits for influenza-like illness: NO
Decrease in new cases by date: NO
Decrease in percent positivity OR positivity below 10%: NO