It saddens me to share that we lost an employee to COVID-19 last week. Anytime we lose one of our own Orange County Government family members, it is devastating. As we all continue to work through challenges presented by the pandemic, please know we deeply care about our own and are working diligently to ensure everyone’s health and safety remain a top priority.
Due to the highly contagious variants, including the Delta variant, and significant numbers of unvaccinated residents, there have been dramatic increases in the overall number of COVID-19 cases. This unfortunately is putting a strain on our local health care resources and could potentially lead to more illness, hospitalizations and deaths in the Orange County community.
At 4:30 p.m. today, July 28, I am hosting a news conference to announce I am declaring a state of local emergency due to the continued spread of COVID-19.
We understand the decision regarding the health care of you and your family is deeply personal. However, we must do everything in our power to protect our employees, our families and our residents. Many of us have been impacted by COVID-19 in some way, whether it was a friend, family member or co-worker. The measures listed below are intended to protect everyone who works for and/or comes into a County facility.
Vaccination Requirement
- All new and existing Orange County Government employees will have until September 30, 2021 to become fully vaccinated, unless otherwise exempt due to health, religious or other legally covered reasons.
- Employees who decide to receive a two (2) dose vaccine will need to get their first shot by August 31, 2021.
- Employees must attest to the completion of their vaccination and provide such documentation to Human Resources.
- COVID-19 testing will be required for employees who have been exempted from the vaccination requirement.
- For those employees who are in a union, we will engage in impact bargaining with the respective collective bargaining units regarding these requirements.
-
For information about vaccine sites throughout the County and region, visit ocfl.net/vaccine.
Exemption from Vaccination Requirements
The County will provide reasonable accommodations for employees who are unable to be vaccinated for documented religious, disability-related, or other legally covered reasons, unless such accommodations pose an undue hardship on its operations.
Face Covering Requirement
Additionally, all of these measures are being taken to ensure the health, safety and well-being of everyone, as well as reduce the spread of COVID-19. Please know how much I appreciate your hard work and support.
