Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings has declared a state of emergency as new infections of COVID-19 skyrocketed to a single-day high, and wastewater surveillance hints at further increases coming soon.
The new state of emergency comes nearly two months after he ended the previous order, which had been in place since March 2020.
He also said county employees have until Aug. 31 to get their first shot of vaccine protection or face discipline that could include termination. He is requiring employees and visitors to wear masks in county facilities and pleaded with private businesses to require employees to get vaccinated and wear masks indoors.
“I think this will determine the character of our business community,” Demings said. “If they follow suit, we’ll understand where they stand. Do they put people’s lives over profits?”
He also said he’s urging residents and visitors to wear masks indoors when around others, stopping short of a mandate, citing changes in state law.
Demings and other local officials have been seemingly boxed in by actions taken by Gov. Ron DeSantis and the Florida Legislature, both limiting the ability of cities and counties to implement emergency orders.
The new law, signed by DeSantis in May and which went into effect July 1, restricts any emergency order to no more than 42 days and allows the governor to overrule a local action at any time, as well as county commissions to overturn a mayor’s emergency order.
In May, DeSantis nullified all local emergency orders relating to the pandemic and has since waived all fines issued by local governments relating to COVID-19.
Demings cited the new rule when asked why he didn’t go further.
“Because of that, I’m taking the action that I believe is legally defensible today,” he said.
Orange County saw 1,371 new infections on Tuesday, the most reported in a single day, as hospitalizations creep closer to the record highs of last July. The COVID-19 tests positivity rate over a two-week period is nearly 16%.
About 62% of county residents 12 years and older have at least one shot of the vaccine.
The mayor said the samples from the county’s wastewater surveillance system hint the worst is yet to come. He said the samples, which can predict increases of COVID-19 up to 10 days in advance, show substantial increases of the virus in the wastewater system, which serves about 870,000 people.
In further shades of 2020, Demings said a show booked at the Orange County Convention Center for next week canceled, which was projected to bring more than $12 million into the region.
But he said, boosting vaccination rates and recommitting to wearing facial coverings can slow the delta variant and future mutations, as well as prevent further economic harm.
“If we pull together we can avoid a collapse of our economy that will be self-inflicted,” he said. “We have the solutions to keep our economy churning.”
Demings didn’t single out the region’s theme parks, though they’re among the region’s largest employers and most influential businesses. But, he said, he hoped all businesses fall in line.
Prior to the announcement, Disney and Universal did not discuss changes to their masking policies; however, Disney announced late Wednesday that guests would be required to wear masks again at indoor attractions beginning Friday.
A similar plea was made by Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava Wednesday, who mandated mask-wearing at county facilities and said she hoped “that businesses will do the right thing,” the Miami Herald reported.
The mayor’s decision will likely play into Orange County Public Schools’ ongoing discussions about face masks on campuses.
The board earlier this month, like many of Florida’s school districts, voted to drop its mask mandate for the coming school year, which begins Aug. 10. But Tuesday, in the face of surging cases, several members of the Orange County School Board said they want to require face masks when school opens –– at least for children too young to be vaccinated.
Not all board members said they were ready to alter their policy, however, but they agreed to seek more information and to alert Superintendent Barbara Jenkins if they thought a new mandate was needed.
“The board is following it very closely,” said Scott Howat, the district’s chief communications officer after Demings’ briefing. “This news today, they’ll take that into consideration.”
Earlier in the day, Broward School Board members kept its mask mandate in place for the fall, the Sun Sentinel reported, even as a day prior DeSantis bashed such policies.
In an email sent to Orange County employees prior to the public announcement, Demings said an employee died from the virus last week and that the decision to institute a state of emergency was also due to strained healthcare resources, as hospitalizations near record highs.
Demings said the county had to do its part to mitigate the spread of the delta variant. He said all non-union county employees have until Sept. 30 to be fully vaccinated, unless exempt due to health reasons or religious beliefs. If an employee chooses a two-dose serum, the first shot must be complete by Aug. 31.
Employees must provide proof of vaccination to Human Resources, and regular COVID-19 testing will be required of exempt employees.
The county is hoping to bargain with unionized employees on these measures soon, Demings said.
The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs became the first federal agency to require employee vaccinations.
The mandate, announced Monday, comes amid 20 reported staff cases at the Orlando VA hospital. There have been about 320 employee cases recorded throughout the pandemic, including these 20, according to the VA’s COVID-19 dashboard.
A survey by the American Medical Association found that 96% of physicians have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19, but among healthcare workers overall, a recent analysis of U.S. Department of Health and Human Services data found that one in four hospital workers with direct contact with patients hadn’t received a dose of vaccine by the end of May.
Spokesperson Heather Frebe said about 67% of 5,811 VA employees are fully vaccinated against the virus.
“We continue to encourage staff, Veterans and Veterans spouses and caregivers to receive the vaccine,” she wrote in an email on Wednesday.
Locally, Orange County Tax Collector Scott Randolph did the same Monday.
Randolph’s spokesperson, Eddie Ayala, said about 45% of the office’s 316 employees have been inoculated with at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine. Some employees have pushed back against Randolph’s ultimatum to get vaccinated by Aug. 31 or find a new place to work.
Ayala said one staffer asked, “When do I put in my two-weeks [notice?]”
Citing new guidance from officials at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the county’s high level of COVID-19 transmission, City of Orlando employees are required to wear face coverings in city facilities, while in common areas and when social distancing isn’t feasible, according to an email distributed to employees Wednesday. At workstations, masks aren’t required if distanced.
Visitors to city hall and other facilities also are required to wear face coverings.
The CDC recommended Tuesday that vaccinated people resume wearing masks in some indoor spaces, reversing its guidance from May that most vaccinated people no longer needed to mask or physically distance in most indoor and outdoor settings.
Increased fear of the fast-spreading delta variant was evident at Barnett Park Wednesday, where the county sponsors free COVID-19 tests and vaccinations.
Much like last year, vehicles snaked throughout the massive park and spilled onto West Colonial Drive. But testing demand outpaced requests for the vaccine so vastly that Health Services’ workers opened a fourth lane for drive-through testing.
The site, open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day, has one vaccine line. Because of demand, the testing lines have closed early though.
Skyler Swisher, Caroline Catherman and Leslie Postal of the Sentinel staff contributed.
rygillespie@orlandosentinel.com, shudak@orlandosentinel.com
