Governor Stitt Announces Latest COVID-19 Actions

Amends Executive Order to provide new measures to help flatten the curve in Oklahoma

OKLAHOMA CITY (MARCH 24, 2020) – Governor Kevin Stitt today held a press conference to provide an update on the State’s response to COVID-19 and announce amendments to Executive Order 2020-07.

The amended Executive Order provides for the following statewide measures:

• Issues a statewide “Safer at Home” order for adults over the age of 65 and vulnerable individuals with serious underlying medical conditions.
• Limits gatherings to no more than 10 people.
• Prohibits visitations to nursing homes and long-term care facilities.
• Postpones all elective surgeries, minor medical procedures and non-emergency dental procedures until April 7, 2020.

The amended Executive Order provides for the following measures in counties with community spread:

• Requires restaurants in Oklahoma counties with confirmed COVID-19 cases to provide take-out and delivery options only and closes all bars in those counties.
• Closes all businesses not identified as being within a critical infrastructure sector, such as gyms, salons, massage parlors and movie theaters, where counties have community spread effective March 25 at 11:59PM through April 15. Federal guidance on the essential critical infrastructure workforce can be found here: www.cisa.gov/…/guidance-essential-critical-infrastructure-w…. Additions may be added by Executive Order or memorandum.

To further amend, Governor Stitt added the following critical infrastructure sectors:

HEALTHCARE / PUBLIC HEALTH

• Health care providers (e.g. physicians, dentists, psychologist, mid-level practitioners, nurses and assistants, infection control and quality assurance

• personnel, pharmacists, physical and occupational therapists and assistants, social workers, speech pathologists and diagnostic and therapeutic technicians and technologists).
• Manufacturers, technicians, logistics and warehouse operators, and distributors of personal care/hygiene products.
• Behavioral health workers (including mental and substance use disorder) responsible for coordination, outreach, engagement, and treatment to individuals in need of mental health and/or substance use disorder services.
• Workers who provide support to vulnerable populations to ensure their health and well-being including family care providers.
• Medicinal marijuana dispensaries.
• Workers supporting veterinary hospitals and clinics.

LAW ENFORCEMENT, PUBLIC SAFETY, FIRST RESPONDERS

• Including front line and management, personnel include emergency management, law enforcement, Emergency Management Systems, fire, and corrections, search and rescue, tactical teams including maritime, aviation, and canine units.
• Workers at Public Safety Answering Points.
• Fire mitigation activities.
• Private security, private fire departments, and private emergency medical services personnel.
• State and County workers responding to abuse and neglect of children, elders and dependent adults.
• Animal control officers.

OTHER COMMUNITY-BASED GOVERNMENT OPERATIONS AND ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

• Faith-based services that are provided through streaming or other technology.
• Critical government workers, as defined by the employer and consistent with Continuity of Operations Plans and Continuity of Government plans.
• Workers supporting public and private childcare establishments, pre-K establishments, K-12 schools, colleges, and universities for purposes of distance learning, provision of school meals, or care and supervision of minors to support essential workforce across all sectors.