Key takeaways from Orange Co. news conference on COVID-19: Assistance, Eviction Diversion, Testing and more

Orange County’s Eviction Diversion Program will close to new applicants on Wednesday, December 16, 2020

From the Orange County Newsroom

ORANGE CARES GRANTS FOR RESIDENTS

The CARES for Residents Program has allocated more than $42 million in $1,000 grants to help 42,000 residents in need so far.

The deadline to spend the CARES money is December 30, 2020.

Orange County does plan to open the application portal again on December 8 at 8 a.m. This may be the last time the portal opens in order to meet the CARES spending deadline.

Please stay tuned to Orange County Government’s social media channels and on the Orange CARES webpage for the upcoming application date opening.

For a list of required documents, current eligibility criteria and frequently asked questions, visit ocfl.net/OrangeCares.

COVID-19 BY THE NUMBERS

According to the Department of Health in Orange County, the rolling positivity rate for COVID-19 in Orange County is 7.5%.

The Department of Health does expect an increase in COVID-19 cases due to the holiday and urges everyone to stay vigilant by wearing your mask, watching your distance and washing your hands.

For a snapshot of the latest COVID-19 statistics in Orange County, visit ocfl.net/COVID19Snapshot. The snapshot is updated Monday through Friday.

TESTING

Orange County Health Services continues to offer free 7-day per week COVID-19 testing from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Barnett Park. Both rapid/antigen and PCR/molecular testing are offered. Learn about the test differences at ocfl.net/COVID19TestTypes

Also, every resident tested at Barnett Parks is provided a packet of free PPE.

Recently due to holiday demand, Health Services has had to close the entrance to the site earlier to meet its 5 p.m. closing and accommodate all residents in the line. Orange County’s 311 hotline will be made aware of if and when a cut-off happens at the Barnett testing site.

For more information on testing, visit www.ocfl.net/Testing.

PPE FOR SMALL BUSINESSES IS FULL

Orange County Government’s free PPE (personal protective equipment) giveaway to Orange County small businesses has had all of its appointments filled this week. In total, 5,448 small businesses in Orange County booked appointments. Since the pandemic, the County has given free PPE away to more than 60,000 small businesses and has supported various municipalities with their outreach efforts.

For more information about the County’s PPE efforts and for future distributions, visit ocfl.net/PPE.

EVICTION DIVERSION TO CLOSE

Orange County’s Eviction Diversion Program will close to new applicants on Wednesday, December 16, 2020.

Visit ocfl.net/EvictionDiversion for a full list of eligibility criteria and required documents.