Oklahoma reports 377 new coronavirus cases, one additional death – KOCO Oklahoma City

ALEJANDRA: IT HAS BEEN NEARLY THREE WEEKS SINCE OKLAHOMA CITY LEADERS PASSED A MASK ORDINANCE REQUIRING MASKS TO BE WORN IN INDOOR PUBLIC CASES. RIGHT NOW THE CITY AND THE STATE SEEING A RISE IN CORONAVIRUS CASES. JOINING US LIVE TO TALK ABOUT THE CITY’S RESPONSES OKLAHOMA CITY MAYOR DAVID HOLT. MAYOR, GOOD MORNING. IT HAS BEEN AND WHY SINCE WE HAVE HAD YOU WANT. HOW ARE YOU DOING? MAYOR HOLT: I’M DOING GREAT. ALEJANDRA: LET’S TALK ABOUT THE MASK ORDINANCE. IN EFFECT FOR THREE WEEKS AND WE HAVE ANOTHER MONTH BEFORE IT IS IN EFFECT. BASED ON THE CURRENT INFECTION NUMBERS, ARE YOU LOOKING INTO POSSIBLY EXTENDING IT? MAYOR HOLT: FIRST OF ALL, IT HAS BEEN TWO WEEKS AND THREE DAYS, BUT WHO IS COUNTING? I AM COUNTING OF COURSE BECAUSE IT TAKES ABOUT THREE WEEKS TO REALLY SEE THE IMPACT OF ANY RESTRICTIONS THAT YOU PUT IN PLACE. IF YOU THINK ABOUT THE FACT THAT ONCE YOU HAVE STARTED SOMETHING, LIKE IN THIS CASE A MASK ORDINANCE, IT MAY TATE — IT MAY TAKE 10 OR 14 DAYS FOR PEOPLE TO SHOW SIGNS OF HAVING CONTRACTED THE VIRUS. AND THEN IT MAY TAKE THEM A LITTLE LONGER TO GET TESTED, IT MAY TAKE LONGER THAN THAT. SOMETIMES AN UNFORTUNATE AMOUNT OF TIME FOR US TO GET THE TEST RESULTS. ALL OF THAT DOESN’T REALLY SHOW IN THE DATA THAT WE RECEIVE FOR THREE TO FOUR WEEKS. IT WILL BE THREE WEEKS THIS COMING FRIDAY WHEN WE PASSED THE MASK ORDINANCE. WE HAVE NOT NECESSARILY SEEN THE BENEFITS OF THAT YET IN THE DATA, BUT WE KNOW IT’S COMING. AND WE ARE ANXIOUS TO SEE IT BECAUSE WE HAVE BEEN AT AN ELEVATED LEVEL FOR ABOUT TWO MONTHS. WE FIRST STARTED TALKING ABOUT IT IN MID JUNE WHEN THEY SAW THE RAMP UP IN CASES, AND HOSPITALIZATIONS HAVE FOLLOWED SUIT. LOOK AT OUR HOSPITALIZATIONS. WE HAVE BEEN AT ABOUT 200 PEOPLE IN THE OKLAHOMA CITY METRO HOSPITALIZED EVERY FOR COVID-19. THAT HAS BEEN CONSISTENT, A NUMBER BETWEEN 190 AND 220 HAS BEEN OUR HOSPITALIZATIONS FOR COVID-19 FOR ABOUT A MONTH. THAT IS WHAT WE WANT TO SEE COME DOWN, AS WELL AS CASES. WE ARE ANXIOUS TO SEE THOSE RESULTS. YOU ASKED ABOUT EXTENDING IT. THAT IS A CONVERSATION THAT THE COUNCIL WILL HAVE I’M SURE AT SOME POINT. IT GOES THROUGH LABOR DAY, AND SO WE WILL HAVE TO SEE. THAT IS PROBABLY — THAT CONVERSATION SOUNDS LIKE IT IS PROBABLY A FEW WEEKS AGO — IF YOU WEEDS — A FEW WEEKS AWAY. WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE HAVE THE VOTES. I’LL HUNDRED CO. YOU MET — ALEJANDRA: YOU MENTIONED THE HOSPITALS AND THE TIME IT TAKES TO GET TEST RESULTS. ARE YOU CONCERNED ABOUT HOSPITAL CAPACITY? MAYOR HOLT: WELL, YES AND NO. I AM CONCERNED ABOUT THE TRAJECTORY WE WERE ON. WHEN I LISTEN TO HOSPITAL OFFICIALS, THEY WERE CONCERNED AND THAT IS WHAT MATTERS. THEY HAVE BEEN VERY CONCERNED FOR ABOUT TWO MONTHS NOW, EVER SINCE WE WENT THROUGH A PERIOD WHERE WE DOUBLED AND THEN WE DOUBLED AGAIN, AND THAT GOT US TO THE POINT WHERE WE ARE WORRIED ABOUT 200 PEOPLE IN THE HOSPITAL EVERY SINGLE DAY. IF YOU LOOK AT THE CHART, IT IS REMARKABLY FLAT LINE. WHY THAT IS REMARKABLE, IT IS A DIFFERENT 200 PEOPLE EVERY DAY. IT IS NOT THE SAME 200 PEOPLE. WE HAVE BEEN CONSISTENT IN HOW MANY PEOPLE ARE IN THE HOSPITAL FOR COVID-19. 200, IF YOU LISTEN TO HOSPITAL OFFICIALS LOCALLY, IS OK. IT IS MANAGEABLE. WHAT HAS ALWAYS PUT US IN A PLACE OF CONCERN AND WHY WE WANTED TO MOVE FORWARD ON THE MASK ORDINANCE WAS THAT ANYTHING MORE THAN THAT AND WE REALLY DO START TO STRESS THE SYSTEM. IF WE DOUBLED AGAIN AND WENT TO 400, THEN WE ARE IN A BIT OF A SPOT. THAT IS BECAUSE OF STAFFING AS MUCH AS ANYTHING. WE CAN ALWAYS PUT MORE HOSPITAL BEDS OUT. THERE WAS A TIME PERIOD EARLY IN THIS PANDEMIC WHEN STATE OFFICIALS WERE TOURING THE COX CONVENTION CENTER IS A PLACE TO PUT PATIENTS. WE CAN ALWAYS FIND MORE ROOM FOR PATIENTS, BUT WE HAVE A REAL STRUGGLE FINDING THE PEOPLE TO TAKE CARE OF THEM. WE CANNOT SIMPLY DEPUTIZE PEOPLE AND MAKE THEM NURSES AND DOCTORS COME AND WE CERTAINLY CAN’T DRAW FROM OTHER CITIES BECAUSE THEY ARE HAVING TULSA AND DALLAS HAVING JUST AS MANY CHALLENGES AS WE ARE. SO WE REALLY HAVE TO KEEP THESE NUMBERS WHERE THEY ARE AND HOPEFULLY GET THEM DOWN. I HOPE THAT IS WHAT WE WILL DO THROUGH THE EFFECTS OF UNIVERSAL MASKING, WHICH HAS BEEN PROVEN TO REDUCE TRANSITION OF S TRANSMISSION AROUND THE WORLD. ALEJANDRA: MORE STATES ARE ENACTING STRICTER RESTRICTIONS AS THEY SEE A HIGHER NUMBER OF CASES — TEXAS, CALIFORNIA, FLORIDA. THE GOVERNOR WAS ACCUSED OF IGNORING RECOMMENDATIONS FROM THE WHITE HOUSE TASK FORCE, WHICH INCLUDES THE CLOSING OF BARS, THE LIMITING OF GYMS. DO YOU SEE A POTENTIAL NEED TO REENACT STRONGER RESTRICTIONS IN OKLAHOMA CITY? MAYOR HOLT: YES. I MEAN, I THINK WE SHOULD ALWAYS BE HAVING THAT CONVERSATION AND EVERY TACTIC SHOULD BE ON THE TABLE. WE ARE CHALLENGED — AND I SAID THIS WAY BACK ON MAY 1 WHEN THE GOVERNOR LIFTED RESTRICTIONS. CERTAIN THINGS YOU CAN DO HAVE NO PUBLIC HEALTH BENEFIT IF IT IS NOT BEING DONE ACROSS YOUR WHOLE METROPOLITAN AREA. FOR EXAMPLE, CLOSING BARS. THERE IS NO QUESTION THAT WOULD REDUCE THE TRANSITION OF COVID-19, BUT IF WE JUST CLOSE THE BARS IN OKLAHOMA CITY, THEN PEOPLE WILL GO TO BARS AND OTHER CITIES. WE HAVE INTERIOR SUBURBS, WE AREN’ INTERESTING COMMUNITY. THAT IS WHY IT REALLY HAS TO COME FROM THE STATE LEVEL WHEN YOU’RE TALKING ABOUT CLOSURES BECAUSE IF YOU DON’T CLOSE EVERYTHING IN YOUR METRO, YOU’RE JUST TRANSFERRING THE ACTIVITY TO ANOTHER PLACE. SO THAT IS ONE OF THE STRUGGLES WE HAVE. I AM STILL HAVING THOSE CONVERSATIONS WITH COUNSEL ABOUT FURTHER RESTRICTIONS, AND I’M CERTAINLY OPEN-MINDED TO IT. I AM VERY HOPEFUL ABOUT THE ORDINANCE. IF YOU TALK TO ANYBODY IN PUBLIC HEALTH, THEY WILL SAY THAT IS BY FAR THE MOST IMPACTFUL THING YOU CAN DO. DO WE HAVE DONE THE MOST IMPACTFUL THING YOU CAN DO, BUT I’M STILL OPEN-MINDED ABOUT TALKING ABOUT THESE OTHER THINGS. THAT THERE IS A REAL CHALLENGE AND NOT DOING IT ON A REGIONAL LEVEL, AND I DON’T HAVE THAT AUTHORITY, NOR DOES THE COUNCIL. WE REALLY DO DEPEND ON THE GOVERNOR TO SOME EXTENT, TO HELP US BRING CONTINUITY TO THE RESTRICTIONS ACROSS THE METROPOLITAN AREA. ALEJANDRA: THIS IS SOMETHING WE WILL BE DEALING WITH FOR QUITE SOME TIME. WE WILL KEEP UPDATED WITH YOU. I WANT TO ASK YOU ABOUT THIS AS WE ARE RUNNING OUT OF TIME. REPRESENTATIVE SHAWN ROBERTS SAYING THAT MAYBE WE NEED TO RE-EXAMINE THE TAX BENEFITS GIVEN TO THE THUNDER IF THEY KNEEL AT THE GAME. THEY DID KNEEL. WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS? MAYOR HOLT: ABOUT THE TAX BENEFITS? THAT IS ULTIMATELY A STATE QUESTION. HE’S REFERRING TO AN AMENDMENT THAT IS PASSED WHEN THE THUNDER ARRIVED TO OUR STATE’S EPIC QUALITY JOBS ACT THAT GIVES THE THUNDER FINANCIAL SUPPORT. I WAS A SENATOR, SO I CAN ATTEST THAT TO MY KNOWLEDGE, REPRESENTATIVE ROBERTS DOES NOT REMOTELY HAVE THE AUTHORITY TO FOLLOW THROUGH ON THAT THREAT, AND IT WAS MORE KIND OF A PUBLICITY STUNT. I DO KNOW THAT THE PEOPLE OF OKLAHOMA CITY STRONGLY SUPPORT OUR THUNDER AND WE ARE GRATEFUL THAT THEY ARE HERE, AND THE THINGS THAT WERE DONE IN 2008 TO GET THEM HERE ARE CERTAINLY PROMISES THAT THIS COMMUNITY AND THIS STATE SHOULD KEEP. AS FAR AS THE WAY THAT THEY ARE CHALLENGING US TO CONSIDER — TO CONTINUE WORKING TOWARD RACIAL EQUALITY IS SOMETHING THAT I THINK WE NEED TO WELCOME AND NEED TO LISTEN TO. ALEJANDRA: MAYOR DAVID HOLT, THANK YOU FOR JOINING US THIS MORNING. WE LOOK TO SPEAK WITH YOU AGAIN SOON AS WE C