• Wear a mask or covering over your nose and mouth
• Wash your hands or use hand sanitizer
• Watch distance— stay six feet apart, avoid close contact and large crowds/gatherings

These actions are working. Our numbers are going down, but we must all continue to follow the CDC guidelines and wear a mask. We cannot stop now! We are finally seeing our efforts pay off in this war against the coronavirus.

To that end, I am proud to announce Orange County Government’s latest public health campaign: We Got You Covered. It is a reminder to protect yourself and others by doing the right thing and wearing a mask. This initiative will strengthen our coordinated response to the virus’ impact on Orange County.

In addition to protecting the health and well-being of our residents, we want to make sure our local businesses are safe as well. The Orange County Economic Recovery Task Force’s Consumer Confidence Survey found that 69% of consumers are more likely to patronize a business that requires its employees to wear face masks.

In order to improve adherence to CDC guidelines, we formed “Strike Teams,” which are made up of code enforcement officials and others to make sure businesses are in compliance. So far, they have visited over 1,100 establishments and were delighted to find nearly 85% of business owners following the rules to help keep customers and employees safe.