ORLANDO, Fla. — This week, a group of nearly 50 people from various backgrounds will start paving the path to restarting the Orange County economy.

The coronavirus pandemic has closed businesses and halted travel across our region.

J. Henry, owner of J. Henry's Barbershop in Orlando, is part of the newly formed Orange County Economic Recovery Task Force.

Henry is living his dream in his hometown of Orlando.

"It blows my mind. I mean, it really does," Henry said.

Weeks ago, his barbershop was packed. It's now closed because of the Orange County coronavirus mandate.

"No financial help at all. I applied for a couple of loans, haven't heard anything back," Henry said.

This proud barber said he's humbled to be part of the Orange County coronavirus task force.

"What I would really like to accomplish is that it shouldn't take a crisis, if you will, for a small business to be heard," Henry said.

Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings said hospitals, theme parks, hotels are among those represented in the group.

"We will listen to the experts on our task force to make sure our recovery is unique to our community and that it is practical," Demings said.

The task force will meet the next several weeks to plan what he expects to be a phased re-opening.

"It will take time. But, our goal is to get our economy going as quickly as possible," Demings said.

Henry said he wants to lead by example and represent his hard-working community.

"The small business owner throughout this country bring more to the table than just asking for a handout, but a hand-up to a better life for the people that's coming behind them," Henry said.

He said safety is important as well as getting business owners the money they need to stay afloat during this difficult time.

The task force will meet for the first time this Wednesday morning.