Orange County schools mandates masks for all adults as COVID cases surge
ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. - The omicron variant of COVID-19 is surging in Florida as students are returning to class from winter break.
In Orange County, any adult who goes onto school property will need to wear a mask. That includes parents and teachers, at least through January.
Students are not required to mask up because of a state law but are encouraged to. Orange County Public Schools says parents who still don’t feel comfortable do have another option. In a tweet they said: "If you choose to keep your child at home it will be excused if your child keeps up with assignments."
In Osceola County, public schools reopened this week and their student absence rate on day one was more than double the average.
In addition to Orange, students in Volusia, Marion, and Lake County return to class on Tuesday. Flagler and Seminole start Wednesday and Brevard Bounty schools open Thursday.
Seminole and Brevard County school districts are encouraging parents to have their children wear a mask. Brevard adds that students should practice social distancing and stay home if they're sick.
Florida reported more than 85,000 new COVID cases over the holiday weekend. Of those,
45,000 were from Saturday and 39,000 from Sunday. All 67 counties in the state of Florida are now considered to be at high risk of community transmission.
Watch FOX 35 News for the latest updates.