ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings said county employees who do not comply with the county’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate will not be fired.
He said instead, those employees will be given a “written reprimand.”
READ: Orange County seeing increase in employee vaccination rate, mayor says
Demings said the decision comes after conversations with the firefighters’ union.
“I believe the decisions we’ve made have been in the best interest of everyone, including our firefighters. this is the right balance I think going forward,” Demings said.
As of Thursday, Demings said 84% of all Orange County employees have gotten at least one dose of the vaccine or have had accommodations granted. Of those, 94% of non-union employees have received at least one shot and 69% of union employees.
READ: Vaccine mandate protesters prepare for recall effort against Orange County mayor
Demings said about 55% of firefighters have turned in their proof of vaccination.
He said as of Thursday, 73% of the county’s eligible population has received at least one dose of the vaccine.
Since the mayor’s last news conference on Monday, he said 45 additional COVID-19 deaths have been reported in the county. That brings the county’s total death toll since the pandemic began to 1,922.
(cont) So far, 84% of @OrangeCoFL employees have been vaccinated with at least one dose. 94% are non-union, 69% are union employees. The deadline for the first dose is a week from today. @WFTV
— Lauren Seabrook (@LSeabrookWFTV) September 23, 2021
READ: Firefighters protest against Orange County vaccine mandate
The deadliest month of the pandemic so far in Orange County was August, with 401 coronavirus-related deaths that month as of Thursday.
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