As we continue to see a downward trend in COVID-19 cases in the state of Florida, Orange County held their weekly update today to discuss the cases within the community. In the past 14 days, Orange County has reported a positivity rate of 5.9%, which amounts to 2,950 cases over that time period. The state of Florida recorded just under 3,000 new cases yesterday, down from an all-time single-day high of 15,300 cases the day Magic Kingdom swung open its gates on July 11th.
During today’s media briefing, Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings went over the COVID-19 numbers for the county. After noting how low some of the recent numbers have been, Demings clarified that he has no desire to relax the face mask mandate for Orange County.
As you might remember, Orange County made face masks mandatory for individuals out in public back on June 18th. This was before the theme parks opened on July 11th, although Disney had already made a face mask mandatory for visiting Disney Springs. Since the theme parks have reopened, Disney has adjusted their face mask policy to include a ban on “sipping and strolling”, a ban on face masks with valves, and a reminder to keep a face mask on while taking photos. While Disney has a right to have their own face mask rules, it is likely that they would be covered under the Orange County mandate even if they wanted to remove a face mask requirement.
Demings went on to note that the face mask mandate has played a critical role in reducing COVID-19 cases in the county. Disney World has not indicated when they might remove a mask mandate for the parks, but it will likely not be anytime soon.
As always, keep checking back with us here at BlogMickey.com as we continue to bring you the latest news, photos, and info from around the Disney Parks!