shuts down

On March 24 Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt, following the lead of at least 21 other states, ordered all “non-essential” businesses in counties where there has been one or more positive tests for the COVID-19 virus to cease operations effective 11:59 pm on March 25. The shutdown will be in effect for at least the next 21 days.

“We remain committed to making decisions based on reliable data, emerging science and the advice of experts from my Governor’s Solution Task Force, the State Department of Health and the CDC on how to best slow the spread of COVID19,” Stitt said. “These new action items will allow us to ensure we remain proactive in our response to this ongoing crisis. We will continue to take the necessary precautions and steps in order to prioritize the health and safety of all four million Oklahomans.”

Stitt also announced a “Safer at Home” policy, compelling all adults over the age of 65 and vulnerable individuals with serious underlying medical conditions to remain in their homes.

The governor’s order limits gatherings to no more than 10 people, bans visitations to nursing homes and long-term care facilities, and postpones all elective surgeries, minor medical procedures and non-emergency dental procedures until April 7, 2020. Hair salons, spas and massage facilities must also close.

Grocery stores, pharmacies, and some manufacturing sectors deemed essential to the national interest will remain open.

Mayors of Oklahoma’s major cities, led by Tulsa Mayor G.T. Bynum, previously ordered the closure of all bars and the dining areas of all restaurants, along with gyms, movie theaters, and other public entertainment venues.

Some see the actions to restrict the movement of Sooners as extreme, but when faced with the reality of an invisible enemy that has already killed nearly 20,000 worldwide in less than four months most residents say they are willing to make the sacrifice.

But saving lives is coming with a huge price tag, not just for the cost of treatment but for the rapid devastation of a formerly robust economy. It has been estimated that more than half of all U.S. restaurants closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic may never open again, and the figure could be as high as 75 percent.

China, even with the luxury of an authoritarian government that doesn’t need to wait for political consensus to act, is struggling to restore its own economy, which cratered during the lunar new year period. But the business of life in China is slowing returning, and leaders in the U.S. hope to kickstart things here with a stimulus package of between 4 and 6 trillion dollars. How this will help the growing legion of unemployed restaurant servers, taxi drivers, construction workers, hotel staff, and others remains to be seen, and the injection of such a large sum of money also brings with it the very real threat of inflation and the devaluation of the dollar. (La Semana)