Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings says he hopes to lift a county-wide state of emergency soon.
Demings passed the original state of emergency in March 2020. That order was lifted in June 2021, but put back in place again by the end of July 2021.
He says with new COVID-19 numbers continuing to drop in the area, it’s time to rethink this order yet again. Only 209 new COVID cases were reported locally per the latest Department of Health data.
“I feel pretty good about where we are with our efforts to contain the virus here within Orange County. So today, we'll be sharing some news with you I think that is very encouraging as we move forward. I hope to get to the point soon where we are no longer under a state of emergency.”
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Demings says the rolling 14-day positivity rate for Orange County is at about 5 percent, with 74 percent of eligible residents vaccinated with at least one dose of a COVID jab.
“On the positive side, we are continuing to see a downward trend in the 14-day positivity rate which today is at 5.37 percent.”
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That's the lowest 14-day rolling positivity rate the county has seen since before the summer months.
Health officials are still recommending people wear masks, practice social distancing and wash their hands at holiday gatherings this year.
