Central Florida counties explore penalties for not following health guidelines

ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — Big changes could be coming to Central Florida due to the increase in COVID-19 cases.

During a news conference Thursday, Mayor Jerry Demings said the county will likely add penalties for violating safety guidelines beginning at the start of next week.

VIDEO: Penalties for not following health guidelines in Orange County could come next week, officials say During a news conference Thursday, Mayor Jerry Demings said they will likely add penalties for violating safety guidelines beginning the first of next week.

Read: Target and CVS to require masks nationwide

Demings said Orange County is working with the State Department of Health to create strike teams, which will go into businesses to make sure they are following the health guidelines.

They will be looking to punish “bad actors,” Demings said.

Demings said he is not ready to implement a curfew at this time.

See the full news conference below:

County health officer Dr. Raul Pino said we are seeing such a surge in transmission because of the delays in testing results.

He says when it takes so long for people to know they’re positive, especially people with no symptoms, that it gives more time for the virus to spread.

There’s also still concern with gyms in our community, Demings said.

“The gym owners who have gotten it right are putting a lot of pressure on their peers to get in line,” he said. “No one wants to see their business shut down because of the cost associated with doing that.”

Read: Florida reports a record 156 coronavirus-related deaths overnight, adds almost 14K new cases

Officials with Osceola County, which was the first community in Central Florida to require masks, are also discussing penalties for people if they don’t wear face covering. The proposal will be brought to commissioners Monday.

In Daytona Beach, a fine is imposed: $50 for the first offense, $100 for the second and $150 for the third.

Several stores including Walmart and Publix have implemented mask mandates.

On Wednesday, Florida set a record for the number of new coronavirus-related deaths recorded in a single day. Data released Thursday by the Florida Department of Health revealed that an additional 156 people died of illnesses related to COVID-19.

Florida’s death toll now stands at 4,782. The number of new positive cases reported Thursday totaled 13,965.

Publix to require shoppers to wear face masks Publix to require shoppers to wear face masks

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