Orlando police to begin issuing flyers to those who violate social distancing guidelines

ORLANDO, Fla. — Orlando police are handing out flyers when they're responding to people violating the social distancing guidelines.

The flyers feature the recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Orlando Police Chief Orlando Rolon said he has more officers on the streets right now because school resource officers have been reassigned, and at the same time, calls for service are down in the city.

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So officers are arming themselves with information as some people are still out on the streets.

The Orlando Police Department will begin passing out the flyers as they try to reduce the number of people in public places even more.

One Orlando officer is off the streets after testing positive for the coronavirus and several others are quarantined as a precaution.

So the flyers are a way to keep contact to a minimum and information at a premium. It lists in simple terms what citizens cannot do, but also what they can do.

“It also explains some of the things that people can do,” Rolon said. “Like going to the grocery store, going to the pharmacy, going to a doctor’s appointment, construction workers can go to work, landscaper can go ahead and basically do landscaping.”

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The department has received calls about a number of churches that may have held services over the weekend. Some officers are encountering gatherings on street corners and in parks.

“Every once in a while you get a call about a basketball court, where someone is playing basketball or a group,” Rolon said. “Those are one in a few you get occasionally.”

Those phone calls are encouraged, even if arresting violators is not a primary objective.

“Every time you have someone who does that, basically it sends a message to someone else that it's OK to do that. It also angers some people,” Rolon said.

Rolon said the OPD officer who tested positive for coronavirus is doing very well.

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