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Orange County mayor declares state of local emergency as COVID-19 cases surge

Mayor Jerry Demings urges residents and visitors, both vaccinated and those not, to wear a mask indoors.

ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — As new coronavirus cases rise in Florida, Orange County Mayor Jerry L. Demings signed an Executive Order Wednesday declaring a State of Local Emergency for the county. 

The order comes as the county saw a rise in cases over the last two weeks. In addition, county officials report a rise in the new delta variant, which is linked to increased transmissibility. 

On July 27, about 1,371 people in Orange County tested positive for COVID-19. This is the largest amount of people to test positive in one day in Orange County since the beginning of the pandemic, according to the Executive Order.

Demings is asking residents and visitors, whether vaccinated or not, to wear a mask while indoors and to follow the updated Center for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines. Tuesday, the CDC called for a return of masks, recommending that vaccinated people return to wearing masks indoors in parts of the U.S. where there are surging cases of COVID-19. 

Demings believes COVID-19 continues to pose a public health threat to the people of Orange County. 

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