Orange County Recommends Masks Again As COVID-19 Positivity Rate Rises

ORANGE COUNTY, Florida. – Orange County leaders are once again recommending that everyone wear a mask when in crowded indoor places, whether or not they are vaccinated. This guidance comes as Orange County’s positivity rate has increased over the past two weeks.

According to Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings, the county’s 14-day rolling positivity rate now stands at 7.78%.

“Two weeks ago, on June 28, it was 4.28%. We are now considered by the CDC as the high risk category for community transmission, which is frankly not good news for our county, ”said Demings.

[TRENDING: Billionaire Richard Branson reaches space | Massive demonstration in Cuba | Florida resident detained in Haiti killing]

A d

Dr Raul Pino of the Florida Department of Health in Orange County said the county is also seeing an increase in COVID-19 cases and predicts that this trend will continue.

Yesterday, 406 cases of new infections were reported to the Florida Department of Health and we are above 400 (per day) since Thursday. Now the week before we were at 200 a day. So he doubled and he will double next week if we don’t do what we need to do, ”Pino said.

The doctor said vaccination was essential to stem this new wave of infections.

“100% of the cases reported yesterday were in unvaccinated people,” Pino said. “Even more, 100% of the deaths we report to you today were from unvaccinated people. So we can hide ourselves, we can keep the distance, we can try not to talk about it but the reality is this is an unvaccinated pandemic. “

The doctor added that 59.69% of eligible Orange County residents received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine and 52% had completed their vaccine series.

A d

Pino also encouraged parents to have all eligible children immunized before they return to school. At the time of this writing, only Pfizer vaccine is permitted in children 12 years of age and older. It comes as the Orange County Public School Board is set to vote tomorrow on whether to make masks optional for the next school year.

Demings later added that while he strongly recommended that everyone wear masks indoors when social distancing was not possible, he said he was still hesitant to issue a new mask warrant.

“I’m not at the point where I want to reinstate a mandate. It’s a strong recommendation right now, ”said Demings.

Earlier this year, Governor Ron DeSantis signed a law that changes the emergency powers of local governments. He said at the time that the new law puts in place safeguards against government excesses in emergencies.

A d

Demings said it was still possible for him to impose a mask warrant despite these rule changes.

“It is possible, and the governor’s decree prohibits the situation of fines or the like,” he said.

News 6 has contacted the governor’s office to respond to Demings’ mask recommendation.

“Mayor Demings is free to make any recommendation he wishes, but counties cannot impose civil or criminal penalties on citizens who choose not to wear masks,” said Christina Pushaw, the press secretary of the governor in a statement. “I hope a reporter asks the mayor for the empirical scientific evidence that informs his mask recommendations.”