ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. —

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EN ESPAÑOL - TODO LO QUE OCURRE CON LA PANDEMIA DE CORONAVIRUS EN FLORIDA CENTRAL

8:14 p.m. update

The University of Central Florida said it will expand its period of remote instruction for all summer sessions to include Summer B, along with Summer sessions A, C and D.

School leaders said the earliest face-to-face classes could resume is in the fall.

Student support functions, such as academic advising, financial aid, counseling and other essential resources, will continue to be offered remotely, school officials said.

UCF said orientation for incoming students also will be held remotely.

The university has not made a decision about holding summer commencement ceremonies at this time.

7:37 p.m. update

The Florida Department of Economic Opportunity said its CONNECT website will be unavailable tonight from 8 p.m. to 7 a.m. to improve workers ability to process current applications.

The interruption in service will not affect next applicants.

The DEO said individuals should visit its new user-friendly website here.

6:25 p.m. update

President Donald Trump is giving a live update from the White House.

To tune in, click here.

6:06 p.m. update

The Florida Department of Health reported Thursday evening that there were 462 new cases of the coronavirus reported in the state since Thursday morning and 17 deaths, including three in Orange County, one in Osceola County and one in Polk County.

The total number of cases in the state is now up to 16,826 with a total of 371 deaths.

See the total number of cases county by county below:

NEW CASES:

Orange: 860 (857 earlier)

Seminole: 229 (228 earlier)

Brevard: 111 (106 earlier)

Lake: 140 (139 earlier)

Sumter: 100 (98 earlier)

Marion: 75 (72 earlier)

Flagler: 41 (37 earlier)

Polk: 234 (earlier)

NO CHANGE:

Osceola: 295

Volusia: 178

Universal Orlando Resort extends closure until May 31

4:30 p.m. update

Tom Williams, the chairman and CEO of Universal Parks and Resorts, said the park closure will be extended until at least May 31.

Most team members will be paid 80% of their usual rate, Williams said.

Williams said the company will be furloughing their part-time hourly team members effective May 3.

Part-time hourly team members who participate in a benefits plan will continue to be enrolled in their plan, with the company paying weekly contributions on their behalf, according to Williams.

To find out more, click here.

4:13 p.m. update

Gov. Ron DeSantis held a meeting with education leaders to discuss the coronavirus pandemic and Florida virtual school.

Watch the meeting below.

3:10 p.m. update

Gov. Ron DeSantis is giving an update on the coronavirus pandemic.

To watch live, click here.

DeSantis said federally equipped testing sites, including the one at the Orange County Convention Center, will be taken over by Florida after tomorrow’s order runs out.

Desantis said instead of only 250 tests, the state should be able to complete 700 to 800 a day.

So far, one in 140 Floridians have been tested for COVID-19, DeSantis said.

2:38 p.m. update

Marion County officials are reporting 72 cases of COVID-19 as of 11 a.m. Thursday.

Officials said the most recent individuals confirmed to have the virus are a 36-year-old man from Summerfied, a 40-year-old man from Ocala, a 40-year-old man from Citra, a 43-year-old woman from Ocala, A 45-year-old man from Citra and an 83-year-old man from The Villages.

According to officials, Ocala leads Marion County’s case county at 45 total cases.

12:20 p.m. update:

The town of Oakland is offering eligible residents relief on their utility bills due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The COVID-19 Utility Assistance Program will assist in offsetting a portion or all of customers’ water, wastewater and garbage bills.

Click here to read more.

11:35 a.m. update:

The United Health Foundation announced Thursday that it is pledging $1 million to support vulnerable Florida residents amid the COVID-19 emergency by creating partnerships with Feeding Florida and Coalition for the Homeless of Central Florida.

11:15 a.m. update:

The Florida Department of Health reported Thursday morning that there were 666 new cases of the coronavirus reported in the state since Wednesday night and 31 deaths, including two in Volusia County.

The total number of cases in the state is now up to 16,364 with a total of 354 deaths.

See the total number of cases county by county below:

NEW CASES:

Orange: 857 (824 last night)

Seminole: 228 (218 last night)

Volusia: 179 (165 last night)

Brevard: 106 (105 last night)

Osceola: 295 (277 last night)

Sumter: 98 (91 last night)

Marion: 72 (68 last night)

Flagler: 37 (36 last night)

Polk: 212 (206 last night)

NO CHANGE:

Lake: 139

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EN ESPAÑOL - TODO LO QUE OCURRE CON LA PANDEMIA DE CORONAVIRUS EN FLORIDA CENTRAL

10:45 a.m. update:

AdventHealth announced it will offer drive-up COVID-19 testing at Daytona International Speedway starting Friday at 9 a.m.

The hospital announced it will offer 500 or more drive-up tests. The effort has been led by the health care system and AdventHealth Centra Care.

The testing will be available for anyone who meets the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention criteria for testing.

Read more about the testing below:

Download the WFTV news app and watch Channel 9 Eyewitness News for live updates on this developing story, or click here to have updates sent straight to your inbox.

10:35 a.m. update:

Brevard County Government announced Thursday that it will extend the closure of its facilities to the public to April 30 due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, but day-to-day government operations and services continue, with some offices accommodating the public in a business-as-usual fashion.

9:12 a.m. update:

Brevard County officials announced that their public libraries now have paper unemployment forms and applications in English, Spanish and Creole available to the public on a daily basis for those who need assistance amid the pandemic.

8:20 a.m. update:

Brevard County commissioners will hold a special meeting Thursday to discuss COVID-19.

The meeting is set for 5 p.m.

7:44 a.m. update:

A new emergency response program in Central Florida is connecting food insecure seniors and disabled adults with freshly prepared restaurant meals, delivered safely to their homes for free amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Meals of Love is currently accepting applications from those in need of food assistance during the COVID-19 crisis.

Disabled adults ages 18 to 59 and seniors can apply online here or by calling 321-253-4430, then dialing 0, or by texting “Mealsoflove” to 94253.

Read: Florida residents to have easier access to unemployment assistance through new mobile-friendly site

6:14 a.m. update:

Hundreds of construction firms from across the country will stop work and hold coronavirus-focused safety stand downs as part of a nationwide safety campaign organized by the Associated General Contractors of America.

Crews will stop work, break into small, socially-distanced groups, and reinforce the new safety procedures and practices that all construction workers must follow to protect themselves and the public from the spread of COVID-19.

Read: Coronavirus: How COVID-19 progresses; a day-by-day breakdown of symptoms

4:27 a.m. update:

The COVID-19 testing site located at the Orange County Convention Center will now have the ability to test more residents for the coronavirus.

Officials announced the site will have the ability to administer 350 tests, which is 100 more than what they’ve been averaging each day.

Orange County has the highest amount of coronavirus cases throughout Central Florida, with 824 cases confirmed as of Wednesday evening.

EN ESPAÑOL - TODO LO QUE OCURRE CON LA PANDEMIA DE CORONAVIRUS EN FLORIDA CENTRAL

Coronavirus outbreak: What you need to know Coronavirus outbreak: What you need to know

INTERACTIVE MAP: Coronavirus cases in Florida

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