The Health Officer for the Florida Department of Health in Orange County is urging younger residents to do their part to stop the spread of coronavirus. The health department reported 126 new cases in the county on Monday.
Dr. Raul Pino said 53% of those cases are people aged between 15 and 35.
“You are a very active segment of our population, and is critically important that you follow CDC guidelines and protect yourself and protect others. It is not only the right thing to do, is the ethical thing to do,” said Pino.
He said some of the cases are being traced back to areas near the University of Central Florida.
"And when that happened...in our previous cycle, that happened prior to a huge increase that we saw in our county.”
Pino said he’s worried that younger, more active members of the community could spread the virus to the county’s older population.
He said people need to do their part to keep the positivity rate under 5%. The county’s two week positivity rate is 4.8% - an increase from last week.
Demings celebrates the NBA season as a win- for the 'bubble'
The Orlando Magic may not have made it to the finals of the NBA, but Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings is celebrating the season as a win-- for the ‘bubble’.
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Image: Orange TV[/caption]
The LA Lakers clinched the season over the weekend, beating out the Miami Heat.
Demings congratulated the Lakers. And he said the NBA bubble at Disney World’s ESPN Wide World of Sports proved that sports could be played safely despite the pandemic.
“During the last three and a half months, the bubble that Walt Disney World and the NBA put in place had no reported positive cases of covid 19 among NBA players," said Demings.
"That's extraordinary.”
He called it a testament to the success of the region to host the NBA season.
County starts a new round of grants
Orange County’s online portal for grants to help residents struggling during the pandemic hit capacity after just 45 minutes Monday.
The county is distributing a new round of $30 million in funding through its CARES Act Individual and family assistance grants.
Demings said it’s the sixth time the county has opened the online portal.
“The portal closed down at 8:45am, when it reached the 10,000 user capacity that we anticipated," said Demings.
"That 45 minute period is representative of the immense need for financial assistance by our families."
He said the previous round of $30 million in grants helped about 30,000 residents.
The portal will reopen again on Saturday October 24th at 8am.
The county has also approved about $1.1 million in eviction diversion funds, which Demings said will help 361 families avoid eviction and stay in their homes.