Orange County mayor issues ‘Stay at Home’ order

UPDATE: For a comprehensive list and description of what counts as non-essential and essential travel needs during the "Stay at Home" mandate, check the executive order at this link.

A “Stay at Home” order has been issued by Orange County, ordering all non-essential retail and commercial businesses to close and all residents to stay home from non-essential travel due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The countywide executive order, announced by Mayor Jerry Demings Tuesday, March 24, in a press conference, affects all municipalities in Orange County and will run from 11 p.m. Thursday, March 26, through 11 p.m. Thursday, April 9.

“We believe this is the most effective way to deal with the coronavirus threat,” Demings said. “I know this is uncomfortable for our residents, but our goal is to stop the spread and get life back to normal as quickly as possible.”

Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer said that every single resident of Orlando and Orange County has an important role in stopping the spread of the pandemic.

“That means our residents should stay home unless it’s absolutely necessary and essential to the health and safety of their family members or their pets,” Dyer said.

He added that residents can still go out to buy groceries, get food, walk a dog, exercise, pick up medicine or visit a doctor as long as they’re practicing social distancing — staying at least 6 feet apart from others. 

At the time of the press conference, Demings said there were at least 50 cases of coronavirus in Orange County — there was only one case 10 days earlier on March 14.

“It is an understatement to say the least that the virus is spreading rapidly within our community and we want to take every measure possible to slow the spread and keep our residents safe and healthy,” Demings said.