Skip to main content
Clear icon
57º

Orange County health officials prepare for coronavirus health, financial impacts

75 million people visit Orange County per year

ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. – The Orange County Board of Commissioners received the latest coronavirus statistics Tuesday during a presentation.

According to Orange County Public Safety Director Danny Banks, thousands of patients have been screened for COVID-19 as of Tuesday.

No one has tested positive for the coronavirus in Orange County.

“We do believe the probability is that we will get a case in Orange County so we are prepared for that likely hood,” Banks said.

Banks said health and safety is the county’s top priority and that county leaders are making aggressive efforts to ensure all public sites and theme parks are clean.

[RELATED: Here’s how Orlando airport is preparing amid Coronavirus concerns]

“We want to continue a healthy clean environment in Orange County and some may speculate that it may have helped us prevent the virus of coming here," Banks said. “We have 75 million people that visit Orange County.”

During the meeting on Tuesday, commissioners asked all sorts of questions surrounding the virus, including what the financial impact in the county will be due to coronavirus. Several conventions and conferences scheduled for the Orange County Convention Center were canceled last week amid coronavirus fears.

Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings said the county lost roughly $154 million in potential economic impact after three conventions were called off.

[RELATED: Health IT conference Trump planned to attend in Orlando canceled amid coronavirus fears]

Banks said the Orange County Emergency Management has a “Plan for Impact” for the county, which would mean isolation for anyone who may have had interaction with someone who traveled internationally.

“Some of those plans may include limitation all the way up to schools and school activities and other things we have to look at the activities that bring people together that can potentially spread that virus,” he said.


Loading...