Orange County could end mask mandate in June, officials say

ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — Orange County could be just two months away from ending the mask mandate.

Mayor Jerry Demings said Monday he might drop the mask mandate in June, but he first wants to see at least half of the county’s population vaccinated first.

JUST NOW: @OCFLMayor was asked when the #maskmandate might end ... Once again, he said likely when about 50% of our population is vaccinated. He believes that could be June. @WFTV
— Lauren Seabrook (@LSeabrookWFTV) April 5, 2021

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The county is inching closer to that every day. Demings said the FEMA site saw a huge turnout for the vaccine on Easter Sunday, and the convention center site is booked solid.

Officials said 37 new variant cases have been identified in Orange County, two of which are the very concerning South African variant.

READ: Florida reports 3,400 new COVID-19 cases, 36 virus-related deaths

Those two cases are people who are related and live in the same house.