🌱 Orange County CERT Program + COVID Causes Restaurant Closures

Carlos Hernandez
Updated ·3 min read

Hello, neighbors! Carlos Hernandez here with today's copy of the Orlando Daily.

First, today's weather:

Sunny and pleasant. High: 71 Low: 53.

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Here are the top five stories today in Orlando:

1. Orlando is seeing a wave of restaurant closures due to COVID-19. Restaurants announcing closures include The Osprey Orlando, Sixty Vines Winter Park, The Strand, and Haos Family. (Bungalower)

2. Florida reported 20,194 new infections to the CDC on Tuesday, the most cases since September 1st. The state was reporting fewer than 2,000 new cases per day from late October through early December. The new Omicron COVID-19 variant is to blame for the surge. (WPLG Local 10)

3. The CERT program is educating volunteers in Orange County about disaster preparedness for the hazards that may impact their area and basic disaster response skills. CERT teams fill the gap between when a disaster first strikes and first responders can get to a neighborhood. (Orange County Government)

4. Universal’s Epic Universe has put up two new buildings as construction ramps up for the planned theme park. Universal currently has a 2025 projected completion date after pandemic delays. (Inside The Magic)

5. Central Florida emergency managers are preparing to hand out tons of free COVID-19 rapid tests as demand surges with the Omicron COVID-19 variant. Despite plans by the federal government to give away millions of tests, experts still believe it will not be enough to match demand. (WESH)

6. A 30-year-old man was fatally shot in Orlando on Tuesday evening around 9 p.m. in Richmond Heights. Anyone with information about this incident is asked to contact the Orlando Police Department or Crimeline. (Fox 35 Orlando)

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Today in Orlando:

  • Night Of A Million Lights at Give Kids The World Village. (5:00 PM)

  • MetroWest Food Truck Connection. (5:30 PM)

  • Winter Garden's Holiday Horse Drawn Carriage Ride. (5:30 PM)

  • The Winter Of Winter Squash at Publix Aprons Cooking School at The Marketplace at Dr. Phillips. (6:00 PM)

  • New Orleans Pelicans at Orlando Magic. (7:00 PM)

From my notebook:

  • A COVID-19 testing site is set to open at Econ Soccer Complex on Yates Road starting Monday, December 27th at 9 a.m. Barnett Park site will continue operations for both testing and vaccines. (Twitter)

  • The Kraken Music Festival is returning to Orlando in February 2022. (Orlando Weekly)

  • Universal Orlando is bringing back its face covering requirement for all guests and team members beginning December 24th. (Click Orlando)

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You're all caught up for today. I'll see you back in your inbox tomorrow with your next update!

— Carlos Hernandez

About me: Hello my name is Carlos Hernandez and I am a food writer with over 10 years of experience in the industry. I write the food blog Carlos Eats (http://www.carloseats.com) and also contribute to several newspapers and magazines with food-related blogs and articles.

This article originally appeared on the Orlando Patch