Though a video of Tuesday’s meeting was initially posted on the Oklahoma Water Resources Board’s Facebook page, the video was later removed from the agency’s page.
Oklahoma Secretary of Commerce and Workforce Development Sean Kouplen said there is currently a “healthy tug-of-war” in Gov. Kevin Stitt’s administration between businesspeople, who want the state to reopen immediately, and the health experts who say to wait.
Attorney Josh Lee, who filed the suit on Monday and was listed as a plaintiff, argued that the ordinance was a violation of residents’ constitutional rights, was a “24/7 mandatory lock down, subject to criminal penalties, and not merely a curfew,” and that the ordinance was so broad it required subjective interpretation of what activities were allowed by the officers charged with enforcing it.
The city of Vinita is facing a lawsuit filed Monday seeking an injunction and court ruling against the city’s recently passed emergency ordinance related to the coronavirus pandemic.
“The numbers are so stunning, there’s nothing to compare it with historically. I just wouldn’t feel safe to characterize it as this is high as it’s going to go,” said Lynn Gray, economic research and analysis director for OESC.
The craft store chain announced it was ending emergency leave pay for employees and suspending the use of company-provided paid time off benefits during the furloughs in order “to allow our furloughed employees” to take full advantage of the pandemic unemployment benefits.
Oklahoma Secretary of Commerce and Workforce Development Sean Kouplen warned some employers may face difficulty rehiring lower-wage workers, since an upcoming increase in unemployment benefits could mean a significant income bump.
Asked whether the number of positive cases would be lower had the initial March 24 order extended to all counties, Stitt responded “I don’t think there is any way to speculate on that.”
