County leaders announce relaunch Volusia campaign to revive economy

Leaders offered limited details in its coronavirus briefing

Here’s what it will look like when Volusia County beaches start to open again

VOLUSIA COUNTY, Fla. – Volusia County government leaders are making plans to revive its economy post-pandemic, saying its time to ease back to normalcy.

Leaders announced their campaign “Relaunch Volusia,” an initiative meant to reopen the economy. In a briefing Wednesday, they outlined few details on what this rollout would look like.

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“We expect our plan to closely align with the governor,” Ed Kelley Volusia County Council Chair said in the news briefing.

County leaders clarified they were waiting for more detailed guidance from Gov. Ron DeSantis, who was expected to release details on the game plan to reopen the state.

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Kelley added that the county’s relaunching plan would have an emphasis on economic development. Government leaders made a call to action to small businesses to reach out to the county with their needs including personal protective equipment or supportive measures.

The county announced they had received federal funds from the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic (CARES) Act. Leaders said they intend to separate funds to assist small businesses but are currently working on finalizing the details of the program. They encourage business owners to check for more resources at volusiabusinessresources.com.

As far as the presence of coronavirus in the county, there were 448 known cases as of Wednesday morning. According to the Florida Department of Health, there have been 20 virus-related deaths and 77 people hospitalized due to complications with COVID-19.

Nine nursing home facilities in the Volusia County area were added to the state’s list of long-term care facilities that have confirmed COVID-19 cases. Testing is now being arranged for all long-term facilities to stop the spread of the virus, with more than 1,000 nursing home staff scheduled to be tested May 4 and May 7.

County leaders emphasized that testing for coronavirus and anti-body testing are the best ways to help shape its relaunching plans.

Volusia County asking people to get tested if they have symptoms at one of their testing sites. The area is also expected to open an anti-body testing site May 4 at the Volusia County Fairgrounds. Standard coronavirus testing will also take place at the fairgrounds once it opens.

Kelley announced he was highly anticipating the governor’s announcement to help get people back to work as safely as possible.

County leaders say they will go into more detail on Relaunch Volusia plans Thursday during its typically scheduled briefing at 2 p.m.

This is a developing story, check back with clickorlando.com. In the meantime, get daily coronavirus updates delivered to your inbox.


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