OKLAHOMA IN THE GRIP OF THE VIRUS

As the State of Oklahoma and the City of Tulsa remain firmly in the grip of the deadly novel coronavirus, a great divide exists between how Governor Kevin Stitt and Mayor G.T. Bynum have chosen to handle the challenge. Even with more than 1500 Oklahomans dead from COVID-19, Stitt, increasingly alone even among other formerly intransigent Republican governors around the country, steadfastly refuses to implement the simplest measure at his disposal, a statewide mask mandate.

At a November 16 press conference, Stitt reluctantly announced a series of new restrictions on bars and restaurants aimed at curbing the spread of the virus, measures to take effect Nov. 19.

“All restaurants will be required to space tables at least six feet apart, unless tables, booths and bar areas are separated by sanitized divider,” the governor’s latest executive order states. “All bars and restaurants will be required to close by 11 p.m. No in-person service of food or alcohol will be allowed after 11 p.m. except for restaurant drive-thru windows or curbside pickup.”

While unwilling to entertain the concept of a statewide mask mandate, Stitt did say that all 33,000 state employees under the executive branch are required to wear a mask in common areas or when they’re around other people, and he ordered all visitors to state agency buildings to wear a mask.

The science behind mask mandates is solid. The Centers for Disease Control recently listed numerous national and international studies showing that wearing masks reduces the spread of the virus by 7080%.

Mayor Bynum has correctly stated that a mask mandate is the least restrictive and best method of avoiding far more draconian steps such as a second lockdown period. The problem, as Bynum has often noted, is that Tulsa is not an island, and without the support of a statewide mask mandate or even the cooperation of Tulsa County’s other municipalities, Tulsa’s efforts will only go so far. As of early this week, only Tulsa and Jenks require masks to be worn in public.

With hospitals on the brink of crisis, Stitt continues to push the notion of “personal responsibility,” even though it is clear nearly nine months into the pandemic that a disturbingly large number of people are unwilling to endure the most minor of inconveniences even to protect the health of their community and their loved ones. Speaking recently on MSNBC, Bynum observed that society would not need any laws at all “if people were personally responsible, but at this point, we've reached a point where we need action.”

Statewide only 5% of ICU beds are currently available, and that number is even smaller in Tulsa, where 68% of beds are being utilized by patients from outside of the city’s jurisdiction.

As deaths in the state continue to climb, grieving families are left to ask if the loss of their loved ones could have been prevented by something as simple as a small piece of cloth. (La Semana)