In June of this year, Orange County, Florida, Mayor Jerry Demings signed an executive order that mandated the wearing of face masks in any public space in response to the global health crisis.
And after an initial surge in cases in July, the daily positivity rate in Florida’s Orange County (in which Walt Disney World is located) has seen a downward trend over the past several weeks.
In a press conference on Monday, the Mayor shared that the current average positivity rate in Orange County is 5.9%. He specifically cited August 23rd’s positivity rate of 4.29%, stating that it was the third day in a row that the daily positivity rate was below 5%.
The Mayor spoke about receiving questions from the public as to whether he expects plans to relax the mandate.
His response, per his statement at the press conference, was: “No, I don’t. I intend to leave it in place for the foreseeable future because I believe that it is playing a significant role in reducing the spread of the virus within our community.”
This follows recent comments from Orange County officials regarding the possibility of mandated mask-wearing into next year. As we discussed earlier this month, Dr. Raul Pino, the health officer for the Florida Department of Health in Orange County, said that the mask requirement could last, “Until maybe the spring, or until we have a vaccine.” He also credited the county’s face-covering requirements with helping to contain the spike in positive infections.
Read about the guidelines for wearing a mask in Walt Disney World here.
Walt Disney World has very specific face covering guidelines for guests visiting any area of the Resort — from the theme parks, to the Resort hotels, to Disney Springs. You can read more here about the guidelines for wearing masks in Walt Disney World Resort. And if you are interested in following the latest information on the reopening of Walt Disney World Resort, you may visit any of the links below.
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