Okla. governor positive for COVID-19
Stitt: Trump rally not where I was infected
WASHINGTON – Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt announced Wednesday he tested positive for the coronavirus weeks after attending President Donald Trump’s rally in Tulsa.
“I’ll be taking precautions. I’ll be isolated away from my family. I’ll be working from home,” he said during an online news conference.
The governor said he would not have been contagious before Saturday and had an asymptomatic case of the coronavirus before receiving his test results Tuesday evening.
Asked whether he may have contracted the virus at Trump’s rally last month, when the governor was seen without a mask, Stitt said it was “too long ago” for that to be the source.
Stitt said he didn’t think the virus could be dormant for that long, “based on the science.”
“It’s too long ago. It wasn’t that,” state Commissioner of Health Lance Frye said, adding it was “unknown” where the governor was infected.
The rally at Tulsa’s BOK Center on June 20 drew about 6,200 attendees and was met with hundreds of protesters scattered around the city. Health experts warned against convening thousands of people inside the arena as cases across the state surged to record highs.
Stitt said he was “pretty shocked” to be the first governor to test positive, and his wife and children tested negative.
The Republican governor said residents need to “adjust our behavior a little bit,” but he has no plans to implement a mask mandate.
“Across the state of Oklahoma, you’ve got different communities with different needs,” he said.
“I encourage Oklahomans to maybe get tested,” Stitt said, especially if they don’t feel well.