Oklahoma governor has virus; fears rise

Eric Tucker, Costas Kantouris and Cody Jackson

MIAMI — Arizona, Texas and Florida together reported about 25,000 new coronavirus cases Wednesday as new restrictions aimed at combating the spread of the pandemic took hold in the United States and around the world.

In two other significant developments Wednesday, an influential committee of scientists and educators recommended that, wherever possible, younger children and those with special needs should attend school in person, and Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt became the first U.S. governor to announce that he had tested positive for COVID-19.

The face-covering requirements, lockdowns, health checks and quarantine lists being conducted worldwide underscore the reality that the number of infections is continuing to tick upward in parts of the world and make clear that a return to normalcy may be farther off than many leaders had envisioned just weeks ago.

Alabama will begin requiring face masks after the state reported a pandemic-high of 40 deaths in a single day. In Texas, which again set a record Wednesday for confirmed new cases with nearly 10,800, Republican Gov. Greg Abbott has increasingly emphasized face coverings as the state’s way out of avoiding another lockdown, which he has not ruled out.

Florida broke the 300,000 barrier on confirmed cases Wednesday, reporting 10,181 new ones as its daily average death rate continues to rise. Major cities in Florida have imposed mask rules, but Gov. Ron Desantis has declined to issue a statewide order, arguing those are best decided on and enforced locally.

Still, on Tuesday the governor wore a mask while speaking publicly for the first time.

Dr. Nicholas Namias, chief of trauma and surgical critical care at Jackson Memorial Hospital, said diminishing bed capacity is creating problems at the Miami medical center. He described the issue as being the topic of daily strategy meetings to figure out which beds the hospital can convert to COVID-19 care.

“We’re getting to the point where it’s going to be full. We have gridlock, and we won’t be able to take patients and they’ll just be stacked in the ERS,” Namias said.

Businesses imposed their own restrictions, too, with Walmart becoming the largest U.S. retailer to require customers to wear face coverings at all of its Sam’s Club and namesake stores. And in Pasadena, California, organizers said Wednesday they have canceled the 2021 Rose Parade because of the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on longrange planning for the New Year’s Day tradition.

In Oklahoma, Stitt, a first-term Republican governor who has backed one of the country’s most aggressive reopening plans, plans to quarantine at home after contracting the virus.

Stitt, 48, said he mostly feels fine, although he started feeling “a little achy” on Tuesday and sought a test.

Stitt, who has resisted any statewide mandate on masks and rarely wears one himself, attended President Donald Trump’s rally in Tulsa last month, which health experts have said likely contributed to a surge in coronavirus cases there.

The governor said he’s confident he didn’t contract the virus at the rally.

“As far as where he became infected, it’s really unknown,” Oklahoma Health Commissioner Lance Frye said. “It wasn’t so far back as the rally,” which took place nearly a month ago.

The report on reopening schools — issued by the prestigious National Academies of Science, Engineering and Medicine, which advises the nation on issues related to science — offered a framework for school districts to decide whether and how to open, with help from public health experts, families and teachers.

The committee emphasized commonsense precautions, such as hand-washing, physical distancing and minimizing group activities, including lunch and recess.

But the experts went further than guidelines issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and other groups, also calling for surgical masks to be worn by all teachers and staff members during school hours and for cloth face coverings to be worn by all students.

Regular symptom checks should be conducted, the committee said, and not just temperature checks. In the long term, schools will need upgrades to ventilation and air-filtration systems.

Online learning is ineffective for most elementary school children and special-needs children, the panel of scientists and educators concluded.

To the extent possible, “it should be a priority for districts to reopen for inperson learning, especially for younger ages,” said Caitlin Rivers, an epidemiologist at Johns Hopkins and a member of the committee.

The American Academy of Pediatrics last month also recommended that schools reopen.

Most studies suggest the virus poses minimal health risks to children. And the report said that evidence for how easily children become infected or spread the virus to others is “insufficient” to draw firm conclusions.

In international developments Wednesday:

• All travelers arriving in Greece from a land border with Bulgaria were required to carry negative coronavirus test results issued in the previous 72 hours. The new rules, which follow an increase in tourism-related COVID-19 cases, triggered an immediate drop in arrivals compared with recent days.

• Romania, citing the rising number of infections, announced a 30-day extension for a nationwide state of alert. Measures include mandatory face masks on public transportation and in shops, while restaurants may only serve customers in outdoor locations. The country set a record for new infections on Saturday.

• Residents of Australia’s secondlargest city, Melbourne, were warned Wednesday to comply with lockdown regulations or face tougher restrictions. Melbourne’s 5 million people and part of the city’s semi-rural surroundings are a week into a new, six-week lockdown to contain a new outbreak there.

“The time for warnings, the time for cutting people slack, is over,” Victoria state Premier Daniel Andrews said.

• In Serbia, which has been hit hard by a spike in infections and anti-government protests, a government crisis team expanded a ban on gatherings of more than 10 people from Belgrade to encompass the entire country. Masks were also made mandatory in public spaces where there is no opportunity for 6 feet of distancing, such as in shops and bus stations.

• Renewed restrictions also took effect in Hong Kong, with public gatherings limited to four people, restaurants restricted to takeout after 6 p.m. and a oneweek closure for gyms, karaoke bars and selected other businesses. Masks were mandated on public transit for the first time, with the noncompliant being fined.

• South Africa is showing signs of being overwhelmed by the pandemic — an ominous outlook for the rest of the continent of 1.3 billion people.

More than 13 million coronavirus cases were confirmed worldwide, with over 578,000 deaths, according to a tally by Johns Hopkins University. The actual numbers are thought to be far higher due to a number of reasons including limited testing.

Information from The New York Times was included in this story.

Franklin County remains the epicenter of the virus outbreak in Ohio, reporting the most cases and deaths so far. As of Wednesday, Franklin County recorded 12,823 cases and 449 deaths, according to the state. Cuyahoga County has the second-highest number of cases and deaths with 9,784 cases and 402 deaths.

Dewine then ran off a staccato of sentences for emphasis.

"“We must act now!

“This is not a drill.

“This is not a hoax.

“This is not a dress rehearsal. "It’s the real thing.

“The enemy is here — and Ohioans have simply come too far in this fight to cede ground now to the enemy.”

Calling upon Ohioans to summon their “better angels” and protect one another, the governor called for mask wearing, social distancing and smarter choices in what Ohioans do.

“So our kids can be in school this fall ... So they can at least have a chance to play sports. So our businesses can remain open. So that Ohioans can continue earning a living and a paycheck,” Dewine said.

“Good decisions will protect the economy and save lives. Reckless ones will hurt and kill.”

Franklin County remains the epicenter of the virus outbreak in Ohio, reporting the most cases and deaths so far. As of Wednesday, Franklin County recorded 12,823 cases and 449 deaths, according to the state.

Cuyahoga County has the secondhighest number of cases and deaths with 9,784 cases and 402 deaths.

Hamilton County, which Dewine has flagged as an emerging virus hot spot, has the third-highest number of cases at 7,279. At 306, Lucas County has the third-most deaths of any of Ohio’s 88 counties. rludlow@dispatch.com @Randyludlow