Orange County Government news update

Orange County Mayor Jerry L. Demings hosted a news conference on Monday, Aug. 30 in order to brief the Orlando community on updates involving vaccination, eviction, parks and recreation after school programs and more. 

Mayor Demings discussed the deployment of the Urban Search and Rescue Task Force 4 headed to Louisiana to offer assistance to those impacted by Hurricane Ida, which we told you about here, before moving on to discuss the coronavirus pandemic. 

As of Sunday, Aug. 29, the Florida Department of Health reported that Orange County has 66.81% of its' residents, 12 and older, who have received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. 

Numerous vaccination opportunities were presented including the free drive-thru at Camping World Stadium, where both Pfizer and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines are available as well as Monoclonal Antibody therapy treatments, and the #IGotMyShot mobile vaccine trailer. More COVID-19 vaccination information can be found here and testing information can be found here. 

"We know that this is a dangerous disease that continues to claim lives and we must all continue to do our part to get it under control," Mayor Demings said at the press conference. 

Emergency Rental Assistance was the next topic on the agenda at the meeting which discussed the most recent announcement regarding federal eviction moratoriums, which we told you about last week here. 

Mayor Demings encouraged Orange County residents to apply for the areas Emergency Rental Assistance program if they are behind in rent payments due to the pandemic. The program has the ability to help eligible residents pay 12 months of past due rent and one month of future rent, up to a total of $20,000, according to the Orange County website. 

According to Orange County, due to the increase in COVID-19 cases in the community, effective Monday, Aug. 30, children who take part in the After School Program must wear a facemask while indoors. Children outside will not be required to wear a facemask.

Mayor Demings is expected to address the Orange County community again in a week. 

The full news conference can be found here.