Some hospital officials told The Frontier they were at or near capacity, and officials and health experts said the influx of patients has started to stretch the state’s hospital capacity, and the trends are not sustainable.
Despite Tulsa Mayor G.T. Bynum’s order mandating masks, The Creek Nation River Spirit Casino and the Osage Casino both told guests on Thursday that masks were optional inside their facilities.
Thousands of Oklahoma companies that received federal assistance to retain workers during the COVID-19 pandemic reported retaining no jobs and others reported laying workers off even after receiving the assistance.
Already members of Stitt’s cabinet and staff are being tested for the coronavirus, and one restaurant in Tulsa shut down indefinitely after Stitt recently ate there and was photographed without a mask on.
Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt, who has championed “personal responsibility” over a mask mandate amid the coronavirus pandemic, announced on Wednesday he had tested positive for COVID-19.
Though coronavirus cases in Oklahoma continue to rise, the state’s Board of Education is not expected to issue a statewide closure of school buildings like it did four months ago.
Since June 19, coronavirus hospitalizations have increased by about 132 percent.
On Thursday, a Frontier reporter interviewed Terri White via phone about her new role, Medicaid Expansion and COVID-19.
