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coronavirus
The Osceola Board of County Commissioners voted 5-0 on Monday to extend an existing state of emergency for Osceola County as part of its response to the Coronavirus (COVID-19).
Commissioners participated in a wide-ranging discussion of ways to help Osceola residents during the pandemic – discussing housing and food assistance. A consensus was reached that food assistance was an immediate need for many residents and the commission will meet Wednesday at 3 p.m. at Osceola Heritage Park to hear options from staff that could address the issue.
The county’s declaration provides access to resources at the State and Federal level to support community needs as well as more quickly gathering needed emergency supplies from vendors as we deal with this ongoing health crisis. The Board will meet again on April 6 in order to extend the order an additional seven days, if needed.
The regular April 6 County Commission meeting was canceled and items from that agenda necessary to conduct County business will be added to the April 13 meeting agenda, which will now be held at Osceola Heritage Park. Details will be forthcoming on the format of the meeting in order to follow recommendations from the Florida Department of Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
RECAP OF CURRENT EVENTS:
A “Stay at Home” order remains in effect for all of Osceola County. Some minor clarifications were made to the order on Friday. The order is available here and FAQ’s here.
A curfew from 11 p.m. until 5 a.m. for all of Osceola County remains in effect for members of the general public to minimize health risks to the public from the Coronavirus. The curfew does not apply to first responders, medical personnel or those traveling to and from work who “are providing essential commodities and services.”
Most, if not all, government offices are closed to the public but working with the public via phone or online. Please check the specific agency’s web site for more information.
To ensure that students have nutritious meals while away from school, the School District of Osceola County's School Nutrition Services Department started providing free breakfast and lunch to children 18 years and under during the extended school closure on Monday. Meals will be available for pickup between 9:30 a.m. - noon at each location. Locations and more information about the program as well as educational resources from the School District can be found here.
Osceola County has created a COVID-19 resource page (www.osceola.org/covid19) with links to various resources including business assistance and non-profits here and here.
COVID-19 testing continues scheduled at the Orange County Convention Center for specific groups. In order to efficiently utilize resources, such as testing kits and Personal Protective Equipment, providing high-risk individuals these resources is crucial to protecting our communities. This testing center will initially begin only testing individuals at higher risk of contracting the disease, or developing serious illness from it. Those test must meet the below criteria:
Anyone 65 years old or older with an on-site temperature above 99.6 and respiratory symptoms.
All first responders and heath care workers, regardless of symptom presence.
