544 new cases reported today. That is more than the previous 2 Sundays.

4 additional reported deaths, which is the most ever for a Sunday.

I wish they made county trends more easily accessible in one place. Looks like Oklahoma and Tulsa are still in a downward trend, but increases in other counties are making up the difference.

Like I said before the "magic" number is when percentage of infected is between 1.0 to 2.0 percent(more like 10 to 20 percent in reality so multiply by 10). The difference in that percentage depending on whatever mitigation measure that is in effect for a particular area. Tulsa and Oklahoma County are at 1.7 and 1.4 percent of infected. This is why Hawaii is blowing up even though their doing all the good things like mask mandates. They are nowhere near that threshold. The lower the percentage, the higher risk you could still see exponential explosion.

Edit: This seems to be the best way at looking at every county without having to do my own math, but data is a few days old. https://coronavirus.health.ok.gov/sites/g/files/gmc786/f/county_risk_levels_trends_20200813_regional.pdf

For a look of how universities reopening is going: https://mobile.twitter.com/ryannovo62/status/1294897421105999880?s=20

Relying on college students to be responsible and maintain social distancing every weekend is hopeless but this looks bad even knowing that. I'm over/under on a month of having to go back to full virtual and solidly feeling the under side right now.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/technology/covid-spread-cant-only-be-explained-by-whos-being-bad/ar-BB17VlsC

BECAUSE they were kept in a bubble and tested routinely.

That will not be the case with 20,000+ on campus now with all of them coming and going as they please.

I admit my love of Sooner football, the intelligence of our AD and head coach, and the fact that OU put Dale Bratzler in charge of managing their COVID-19 protocols gave me hope that OU would be one of the few institutions to weather this.

My view is changing somewhat, now, after this week's news. You can see it on Riley's face that he knows he really can't manage this the way he should. His comment about there being no "bubble" like the NBA is the real tell.

It's hard enough to keep young men out of jail, but asking them to socially isolate during the prime of their lives is too much, and there's no way he can enforce it.

It would be great if OU were able to offer an ultimatum: if you want to play, you have to go into isolation for the entire season. Once the season is over, you're on your own. But, alas, OU cannot do that.

As a result, I see no way there won't be large outbreaks on multiple teams, ultimately shutting down college football for 2020. I wish I didn't see things this way but I do.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/technology/covid-spread-cant-only-be-explained-by-whos-being-bad/ar-BB17VlsC

Very good points made in that article and the referenced data scientist Twitter thread. This theory that large early outbreaks prevent larger, second outbreaks along with changes in individual behavior may be an explanation for the way the Texas vs. OK death trends look. I was reviewing some of the different state data at NYT and was really curious why there are differences in the trends.

Reference: https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/us/texas-coronavirus-cases.html

What is interesting looking at Texas, back in April & May - their deaths were pretty much nil, given a pop. of ~30,000,000. Seven day average deaths barely touched 50, and mostly stayed in the 25-40 deaths/day range. Impressive, given the sizes of Texas largest metro areas.

The death rate, however, went on to reach staggering new highs that generally followed the cases trend, but lagged a few weeks:

Deaths:
https://i.imgur.com/9uJkVUE.jpg
Compared to cases:
https://i.imgur.com/5gVGF9s.jpg

When looking at OK's Cases trend - it is almost identical to Texas. Practically flat throughout April, May, and first part of June, followed by a dramatic explosion in new cases during the summer:

OK Cases:
https://i.imgur.com/HPc3Sl1.jpg

Yet, when looking at OK's death trend - we saw a relatively large spike in deaths back in April & May, followed by the current increase we find ourselves in today. For our death chart to look like Texas, we would need the average deaths/day to skyrocket in to the ~100 range. That seems unlikely. Hopefully.

https://i.imgur.com/G3FHf9P.jpg

So, perhaps the explanation is similar to what the author proposed: our second "summer" outbreak in occurred in areas where there may have been some existing immunity in the population.

While we know there is widely agreed upon evidence of mask physically stopping respiratory droplets from traveling as far - perhaps the psychological factor of remembering to get your mask when you leave the house (along with your keys, wallet, phone, etc.) is an additional factor in influencing individual behavior to take more precautions in general.

I just heard that they’re still having their big calf fry event up in Stillwater. They should have never tried to open schools and colleges this year. Couple this with sturgis, and we’re going to see a massive spike soon.

Good luck if you planned on traveling internationally next year...

I just heard that they’re still having their big calf fry event up in Stillwater. They should have never tried to open schools and colleges this year. Couple this with sturgis, and we’re going to see a massive spike soon.

Good luck if you planned on traveling internationally next year...

Have you seen the video of people getting down on the dance floor at Tumbleweed? Looked like hundreds of maskless revelers. Also, bars full to the brim on Campus Corner in Norman and the Strip in Stillwater. I saw a photo of a massive fraternity party in Norman (while OSU has a sorority with 23 cases). This is just going to be a massive ****show.

It's really sad that people cannot do what they are supposed to to keep this in check, and we are headed for more shutdowns.

Updated Oklahoma school Covid-19 case list. This data provided by Oklahoma Source. This is after only a couple of days of school. Insane.

Achille Achille Junior High Staff Y Affected site closed until further notice
Avant not specified Staff Y Start date delayed to September 8
Barnsdall not specified Staff (2) Y Start date delayed to August 24
Bennington not specified Not specified Y online until 8/17
Boise City not specified Staff Y Delayed start date to Aug 31
Boswell not specified Staff Y moved to online learning
Broken Arrow multiple sites Staff N/A 98 staff quarantined/33 positive; school start delayed to Sept 3
Brushy unknown Staff N cleaning; contact tracing
Canton not specified Staff N school began as scheduled on August 13
Clinton Clinton High School Student N/A School starts August 20
Clinton unspecified elementary site Staff N/A School starts August 20
Colbert Westward Lower Elementary Staff Y moved to distance learning through Aug 27
Coweta Coweta HS students N close contacts quarantined
Crescent not specified Students Y start delayed to August 24
Crooked Oak Central Oak Elementary Staff N recommended protocols followed
Dickson not specified Students N affected classes quarantined
Duncan Will Rogers Elementary (Pre-K center) Not specified N affected class quarantined
Edmond not specified Staff N/A blended learing begins 8/17
Elk City Elk City Intermediate School Student N cleaning; contact tracing
Ft. Towson not specified Staff Y Start of school postponed to 8/26
Goodwell not specified, but in conjuction with Texhoma Public Schools Not specified N mandatory masks beginning August 17
Guymon Guymon Central Junior High School and High School Both N mandatory masks beginning August 17; cleaning; contact tracing
Hartshorne not specified Staff N disinfecting protocols; contact tracing
Heavener not specified Staff Y start date delayed to August 20
Hilldale not specified Not specified N close contacts quarantined
Hulbert Hulbert HS student unk unknown
Indianola not specified Staff Y start date delayed to August 25
Kingfisher Heritage Elementary Staff N cleaning; contact tracing
Kingfisher Kingfisher Middle School Student N contact tracing in progress
Kingston nutrition department Staff Y online until further notice
Konawa not specified Student Y Closed until August 28
Lawton Eisenhower High School Student N Football practice suspended for 48 hours
Mannsville not specified Staff Y close for two weeks; classes resume August 24
Maryetta (Stilwell, OK) not specified Not specified N cleaning; contact tracing
McAlester not specified Students Y start date delayed to Aug 26
Mid-Del Carl Albert MS Staff (4) N unknown
Moore PS Moore HS Student N cleaning; contact tracing
Moore PS Westmoore HS Both N cleaning; contact tracing; 17 students quarantined
Moore PS Eastlake Elementary Not specified N close contacts quarantined
Morrison Morrison Elementary Student N close contacts quarantined; added face covering requirement in grades 4-6
Muskogee multiple sites Both N close contacts quarantined
New Lima New Lima HS Students N Affected students on 2 week quarantine
Newcastle Newcastle Elementary Student N cleaning; contact tracing
OKCPS and others Metro Tech Center Student N cleaning; contact tracing
Oktaha Oktaha HS Student unk Athlete; games postponed
Pauls Valley Pauls Valley High School, other buildings Students (2); Staff (2) Y Contact tracing and quarantine; Start date delayed until August 17, virtual until August 24; non-essential employees staying home 8/17
Poteau Poteau Elementary Staff unk unknown
Private Bishop Kelley 3 students N Hybrid learning in place
Private St Elizabeth Ann Seton Catholic School (Edmond) student N cleaning; contact tracing
Putnam City Administration Building Staff N/A distance learing begins 8/27
Quinton not specified Student N students in affected class quarantined until 8/24
Santa Fe South Penn Elementary/SFS Middle School Staff N contact tracing
Sapulpa Sapulpa High School Both N start date delayed until August 24
Savanna Savanna HS Student Y Elementary as scheduled;MS and HS distance until at least Aug 21
Sayre Sayre Elementary/Early Childhood Not specified N cleaning; contact tracing
Seiling not specified Staff N quarantine of close contacts
Shawnee not specified Staff N contact tracing
Silo Silo Elementary Student N Class quarantined
Stigler Stigler Grade School Not specified N cleaning; contact tracing
Stuart not specified Staff unk decision pending
Tupelo Tupelo HS Staff Y start date delayed to 8/27
Varnum not specified Staff Y start date delayed until August 24
Wagoner multiple sites Staff unk close contacts quarantined
Yukon not specified Staff Y moved to distance learning

https://twitter.com/yinonw/status/1295152579941249024?s=21

Have you seen the video of people getting down on the dance floor at Tumbleweed? Looked like hundreds of maskless revelers. Also, bars full to the brim on Campus Corner in Norman and the Strip in Stillwater. I saw a photo of a massive fraternity party in Norman (while OSU has a sorority with 23 cases). This is just going to be a massive ****show.

It's really sad that people cannot do what they are supposed to to keep this in check, and we are headed for more shutdowns.

As long as hospital rooms don't start filling up in Stillwater and Norman, I don't think classes will have to go back online. They won't, if older people in those towns take precautions when going out. The unmasked Tulsa Trump rally didn't turn out to be as big of a public health disaster some feared. So college kids partying close together may not turn out to be a big disaster, either.

I just heard that they’re still having their big calf fry event up in Stillwater. They should have never tried to open schools and colleges this year. Couple this with sturgis, and we’re going to see a massive spike soon.


Calf Fry is held early in May and was canceled this year. What Tumbleweed did this past weekend was called Weedstock. It's supposedly a take off on Tumbleweed, not pot.

I have nothing against reopening schools and colleges if proper safety measures are taken, most of all requiring mask wear. It will be interesting to see how long classes can go on to see if those opposed to it are right.

I am glad the college classes I am taking this semester are online. (well these would have been on line without covid 19). I'll just continue to stay home and try to stay safe.

I am glad the college classes I am teaching this semester are online. (they would have been face to face without covid 19). I'll just continue to stay home and try to stay safe.

No one said that kids don't spread it, but rather that kids spread it at a much lower rate than adults, there's very little proof that they spread it to adults, and the least likely to succeed from virtual learning (3rd grade and younger) are much more likely to be asymptomatic and not display severe symptoms.

I have not read this research. In fact, there was a study that suggested that kids actually spread COVID-19 far more than adults, but some researchers are calling that study into question now. However, I have not seen evidence kids don't spread it. It's also a reminder not to point to one study for proof of anything big, but try to understand what multiple studies are showing and corroborate those findings. Anyway, I'd like to see the research on this. Thanks.

I believe that EVERY one of those 9 cases are from players who left Norman. Those who stayed here didn't test positive. Who would have thought that college campuses might be safer than home, when protocols are in place. But yes, when you have more college kids there, more and more won't follow protocols.

This is incorrect. 75% of the team stayed in Norman during their time off and those who stayed around were among the positive tests.

No one said that kids don't spread it, but rather that kids spread it at a much lower rate than adults, there's very little proof that they spread it to adults, and the least likely to succeed from virtual learning (3rd grade and younger) are much more likely to be asymptomatic and not display severe symptoms.

is this were you once again post a bunch of links to studies that you say prove this, when the studies themselves say they don't, just like you did back in July?

because no one is still saying there are any true studies that were created specifically to look at the the spread rate in children, that has yet to be completed or provide results. just like there is very little proof they they spread it to adults, and there is very little proof that they don't.

Your not going to stop the spread of COVID. No way with the younger people doing what they want to do. I’ll just wear my mask and keep washing my hands. Good luck to everyone.

Your not going to stop the spread of COVID. No way with the younger people doing what they want to do. I’ll just wear my mask and keep washing my hands. Good luck to everyone.

Its not the worst thing in the world for huge chunks of young people to catch it while on a college campus. Builds immunity for a chunk of the pop that will be fine. If mom and dad are worried about their kid coming home and giving them covid, then don't let them come home.

Its not the worst thing in the world for huge chunks of young people to catch it while on a college campus. Builds immunity for a chunk of the pop that will be fine. If mom and dad are worried about their kid coming home and giving them covid, then don't let them come home.

except we don't know how long immunity lasts... so that is a false statement.

Its not the worst thing in the world for huge chunks of young people to catch it while on a college campus. Builds immunity for a chunk of the pop that will be fine. If mom and dad are worried about their kid coming home and giving them covid, then don't let them come home.

infact the new CDC guidance suggests that they aren't willing to confirm that immunity lasts anything longer than 3 months

https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/if-you-are-sick/quarantine.html

we honestly do not know how long it will last.


People who have tested positive for COVID-19 do not need to quarantine or get tested again for up to 3 months as long as they do not develop symptoms again. People who develop symptoms again within 3 months of their first bout of COVID-19 may need to be tested again if there is no other cause identified for their symptoms.

so they also aren't even sure about the 3 months... they are basically saying, you are immune for 3 months, unless of course, you aren't immune for that long.

As long as hospital rooms don't start filling up in Stillwater and Norman, I don't think classes will have to go back online. They won't, if older people in those towns take precautions when going out. The unmasked Tulsa Trump rally didn't turn out to be as big of a public health disaster some feared. So college kids partying close together may not turn out to be a big disaster, either.

Young people can and are being hospitalized. So, we will see. But what of the people at OSU who have no choice but to interact with these students? Are they just guinea pigs for the university?

I read that the Tulsa County Health Department traced at least 500 infections to the Trump rally. It's also highly likely that Herman Cain contracted the virus at that rally, and he died from it. To your point, however, the virus was already spreading rapidly in Tulsa at the time of the rally, which 1) Made the decision of going forward with it all the more irresponsible, and 2) Makes it incredibly difficult to single the rally out as a broad community spread vehicle when there were so many new cases. And yet, we have months of experience with this virus and can make some reasonable assumptions about thousands of people without masks in an inside venue sitting close together.

It's not just OSU. There were parties and scenes playing out like the Tumbleweed across the country, including OU. When you consider how many Oklahoma schools reported cases in just two days, I can only imagine what all university towns will look like in a couple of weeks. My guess is the universities will close to in-person learning and football will be canceled because "contact tracing" will be pointless with so much community spread.

Its not the worst thing in the world for huge chunks of young people to catch it while on a college campus. Builds immunity for a chunk of the pop that will be fine. If mom and dad are worried about their kid coming home and giving them covid, then don't let them come home.

Sacrifice the lungs of the young for the economy, this won't come back to bite us later on.

369 new cases today; about the same as the last 2 Mondays.

4 additional deaths reported.

Sacrifice the lungs of the young for the economy, this won't come back to bite us later on.

It depends, honestly. I would like to know the % of people who are having long-term effects. Even better would be having that broken down by age and health. Most that I know who are healthy have no effects, short or long-term. But I know that is a limited view, so something more substantial would be interesting to read.

Young people can and are being hospitalized. So, we will see. But what of the people at OSU who have no choice but to interact with these students? Are they just guinea pigs for the university?



Yes, playing the role of guinea pig is what it amounts to, since the coronavirus is new. For instance, it isn't known how much is the likelihood for the virus to be transmitted through the eyes.

After all the maskless exposure to the virus over the past weekend, it will be more important than ever for students and everybody else to mask up and crack down against the slackers refusing to cooperate. Mask up or leave. If not enough people cooperate both while on and off campus, then I won't be surprised if Norman becomes no. 3 for total number of positive cases with Stillwater no. 4. Maybe the media needs to focus more on how sick some young people are with the virus and lingering after effects to better make the case that the virus isn't worth risking to get.

Are hospitalizations still in the mid 600's like a few weeks ago? i haven't seen that number posted recently

Are hospitalizations still in the mid 600's like a few weeks ago? i haven't seen that number posted recently
There were 506 on Friday.

I’m confused again! I see posts on every site I’m part of that Positivity Rate is the most important statistic. Why? It seems to me that it’s the one statistic most easily influenced by who gets tested. At the beginning when you couldn’t get tested without multiple symptoms and a Drs referral Positivity I think was very high. With more widely available testing it went down which is exactly what I would expect. Then if testing had to again be restricted to people known to be sick with something it would undoubtedly go way back up again. Can someone knowledgeable explain?

369 new cases today; about the same as the last 2 Mondays.

4 additional deaths reported.

I'm have been over these daily numbers now for about 3 weeks. Too up and down too dependent on which reporting site might be giving correct numbers or no numbers at all. You watch tomorrow we will be back to 1,000 cases.

https://twitter.com/ryannovo62/status/1294897421105999880?s=20

Students in Stillwater cramming a crowded bar without masks.

I'm have been over these daily numbers now for about 3 weeks. Too up and down too dependent on which reporting site might be giving correct numbers or no numbers at all. You watch tomorrow we will be back to 1,000 cases.

Then why bother to post about it?

You've made the same point numerous times.

Sacrifice the lungs of the young for the economy, this won't come back to bite us later on.

Except the isn’t the case for 99+% of people who get infected.

Except the isn’t the case for 99+% of people who get infected.

except that isn't actually known... we don't know the percentage that will see long term damage.

https://twitter.com/ryannovo62/status/1294897421105999880?s=20

Students in Stillwater cramming a crowded bar without masks.

At least the two bars in downtown Stillwater were still closed.

Bear in mind a lot of OSU students aren't even old enough to go to the bars. Who knows how many were non students? The Salty Bronc Saloon on the strip tends to attract an older crowd.

https://twitter.com/ryannovo62/status/1294897421105999880?s=20

Students in Stillwater cramming a crowded bar without masks.
Absolutely scary!

To little surprise, startup of new season at the OSU's McKnight Center has been delayed until January. So the Philadelphia orchestra won't be coming to Oklahoma in September.

Except that isn’t the case for 99+% of people who get infected.

That's regarding deaths. It probably isn't known yet the percentage of people who get COVID and take weeks to months getting over it. Or how likely the bad after effects will be permanent. That is a big reason I don't want to take foolish chances with it.

Except the isn’t the case for 99+% of people who get infected.

I'm not talking deaths, I'm talking about survivors with lasting lung damage. This is uncharted territory, and we don't know what we're risking.

I'm not talking deaths, I'm talking about survivors with lasting lung damage. This is uncharted territory, and we don't know what we're risking.

exactly... there is still a lot of reports of people still months later suffering from reduced lung capacity and kidney complications. i don't was to not wear a mask now and deal with constant shortness of breath or eventual dialysis in a few years, just because i felt that it wouldn't affect me since i'm young.

A guy I work with is 22, and he had COVID and he was out of action for a month. Healthy, fit, works out, non smoker. He said for the two weeks in the middle, he couldn't even get up to walk to the refrigerator to get a water. He didn't require a respirator, laying down or sitting his oxygen levels were fine. As soon as he stood up he said it would take about 5 minutes to get to the kitchen and back. He placed chairs around his apartment so he could take breaks on his way around the house to use the restroom, eat, or get a drink. He recovered fine, but said in the middle of it he would rather have just died. He said you get the chills similar to when you have an upset stomach (minus the upset stomach), but they last for the better part of 12 hours at a time per episode.

Another fellow I work (mid 40s, relatively healthy) with just lost his wife, although they haven't determined her cause of death yet. She and her husband tested positive a month ago, last week she complained of being restless late at night - so she went downstairs to get a drink and watch TV on the couch to hopefully fall asleep. He woke up at 4am for work to find her dead on the couch. He said every since "recovering" she has had issues with becoming winded at random times and feeling as if she will pass out. One day can run a mile, the next can't get out of bed without being winded. So even though she recovered, she still had life threatening complications that eventually caught up to her, quite soon.

I don't think this is anything to mess around with no matter your age.

UNC-Chapel Hill converts to remote learning after reporting 135 new COVID-19 cases within a week of starting classes

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/unc-chapel-hill-converts-remote-learning-after-reporting-135-new-n1236977

Then why bother to post about it?

You've made the same point numerous times.

Got to keep the Thread Alive. Your welcome. #micdrop :o

Got to keep the Thread Alive. Your welcome. #micdrop :o
It’s already maybe the busiest thread ever.

It’s already maybe the busiest thread ever.

Just trying to bring a little humor. I'm sure it pasted the busies tread ever months ago.

Just saw that apparently Stillwater thinks this is the answer to crowded bars.
“We are considering a new ordinance that will allow certain bars and restaurants to expand their outdoor areas into some of the public rights of ways, so that we can hopefully move some of those folks outside and spread them out a little bit better.” said Mayor Joyce.

Just saw that apparently Stillwater thinks this is the answer to crowded bars.
“We are considering a new ordinance that will allow certain bars and restaurants to expand their outdoor areas into some of the public rights of ways, so that we can hopefully move some of those folks outside and spread them out a little bit better.” said Mayor Joyce.

Covidiots - both the Mayor and partiers.

A guy I work with is 22, and he had COVID and he was out of action for a month. Healthy, fit, works out, non smoker. He said for the two weeks in the middle, he couldn't even get up to walk to the refrigerator to get a water. He didn't require a respirator, laying down or sitting his oxygen levels were fine. As soon as he stood up he said it would take about 5 minutes to get to the kitchen and back. He placed chairs around his apartment so he could take breaks on his way around the house to use the restroom, eat, or get a drink. He recovered fine, but said in the middle of it he would rather have just died. He said you get the chills similar to when you have an upset stomach (minus the upset stomach), but they last for the better part of 12 hours at a time per episode.

I don't think this is anything to mess around with no matter your age.
Excerpted from:
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/08/17/opinion/covid-19-heart-disease.html?action=click&module=Opinion&pgtype=Homepage
"Eduardo Rodriguez was poised to start as the No. 1 pitcher for the Boston Red Sox this season. But in July the 27-year-old tested positive for Covid-19. Feeling “100 years old,” he told reporters: “I’ve never been that sick in my life, and I don’t want to get that sick again.” His symptoms abated, but a few weeks later he felt so tired after throwing about 20 pitches during practice that his team told him to stop and rest.

Further investigation revealed that he had a condition many are still struggling to understand: Covid-19-associated myocarditis. Mr. Rodriguez won’t be playing baseball this season.

I recently treated one Covid-19 patient in his early 50s. He had been in perfect shape with no history of serious illness. When the fevers and body aches started, he locked himself in his room. But instead of getting better, his condition deteriorated and he eventually accumulated gallons of fluid in his legs. When he came to the hospital unable to catch a breath, it wasn’t his lungs that had pushed him to the brink — it was his heart. Now we are evaluating him to see if he needs a heart transplant."

Covidiots - both the Mayor and partiers.

Maybe the mayor wants to be more business friendly after a petition has been out to recall him and the rest of the city council. The petition signers are big covidiots, too.
https://www.stwnewspress.com/news/local_news/county-assessor-hosts-petition-to-recall-stillwater-city-council/article_119ea718-0d10-5edc-9038-6c21de146f5b.html

What the Stillwater News Press thinks of the petition:
https://www.stwnewspress.com/opinion/our-view-a-misguided-effort/article_d8c4a5d2-dd02-11ea-8852-1f153202c104.html

Excerpted from:
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/08/17/opinion/covid-19-heart-disease.html?action=click&module=Opinion&pgtype=Homepage
Eduardo Rodriguez was poised to start as the No. 1 pitcher for the Boston Red Sox this season. But in July the 27-year-old tested positive for Covid-19. Feeling “100 years old,” he told reporters: “I’ve never been that sick in my life, and I don’t want to get that sick again.” His symptoms abated, but a few weeks later he felt so tired after throwing about 20 pitches during practice that his team told him to stop and rest.

Further investigation revealed that he had a condition many are still struggling to understand: Covid-19-associated myocarditis. Mr. Rodriguez won’t be playing baseball this season.

Scary stuff. It can do some serious organ damage in even mild cases.

I'm not talking deaths, I'm talking about survivors with lasting lung damage. This is uncharted territory, and we don't know what we're risking.

I knew what you were talking about.

Maybe the mayor wants to be more business friendly after a petition has been out to recall him and the rest of the city council. The petition signers are big covidiots, too.
https://www.stwnewspress.com/news/local_news/county-assessor-hosts-petition-to-recall-stillwater-city-council/article_119ea718-0d10-5edc-9038-6c21de146f5b.html

What the Stillwater News Press thinks of the petition:
https://www.stwnewspress.com/opinion/our-view-a-misguided-effort/article_d8c4a5d2-dd02-11ea-8852-1f153202c104.html

Business friendly? How about customer friendly. Customers vote also.

Business friendly? How about customer friendly. Customers vote also.

How is he not being costumer friendly as well by still allowing them to attend the bars and restaurants that they are CHOOSING to attend and loosening restrictions that will allow those customers who CHOOSE to attend those establishments to do so more safely?

So you are telling me that the video of the bar showed compliance with local ordinances. The uproar is based on what you would refer to as "Karens" I guess.

So you are telling me that the video of the bar showed compliance with local ordinances. The uproar is based on what you would refer to as "Karens" I guess.

I’m saying that everyone in the bar used their own free will and chose to go. Anyone who didn’t want to be in that situation could choose not to be a customer of that establishment. The mayor is considering both the customers who want to enjoy that type of environment and the business owners that want to stay open and avoid loosing their businesses by loosening restrictions that would make more theoretically safer outdoor space available which in turn allows for more distancing inside.

All of that to say...if you don’t want to be in that type of environment you’re not going to be a customer of that establishment anyway...so I’m not sure how the mayor is in any way doing wrong by the customers as you suggested. If you’re relying on the government to “protect” people that don’t care about the virus and insist on putting themselves in the highest risk environment possible...you’re going to be really disappointed. Close the tumbleweed down then the same crowd will be crammed into 10 different huge house parties. The threat isn’t great enough for college age and younger people to care about it... no leadership is going to change that.

In the spirit of consisteny I assume you have no problems with folks smoking in a park.

I’m saying that everyone in the bar used their own free will and chose to go. Anyone who didn’t want to be in that situation could choose not to be a customer of that establishment. The mayor is considering both the customers who want to enjoy that type of environment and the business owners that want to stay open and avoid loosing their businesses by loosening restrictions that would make more theoretically safer outdoor space available which in turn allows for more distancing inside.

All of that to say...if you don’t want to be in that type of environment you’re not going to be a customer of that establishment anyway...so I’m not sure how the mayor is in any way doing wrong by the customers as you suggested. If you’re relying on the government to “protect” people that don’t care about the virus and insist on putting themselves in the highest risk environment possible...you’re going to be really disappointed. Close the tumbleweed down then the same crowd will be crammed into 10 different huge house parties. The threat isn’t great enough for college age and younger people to care about it... no leadership is going to change that.

the problem is that just because you can choose something for yourself doesn't mean you should unknowingly choose it for others. For example, one of the people in that bar picks it up, doesn't show any symptoms, and delivers the virus directly to his or her professor who beings it in to their home exposing their spouse and kids. This really is like a man not wearing a condom saying he shouldn't be responsible for his partners wellbeing. Well, wrong.

Scary stuff. It can do some serious organ damage in even mild cases.

I suspect the word about how scary it can turn out to be is getting out and helps explain why there is more cooperation in wearing masks than during the spring.

I’m saying that everyone in the bar used their own free will and chose to go. Anyone who didn’t want to be in that situation could choose not to be a customer of that establishment. The mayor is considering both the customers who want to enjoy that type of environment and the business owners that want to stay open and avoid loosing their businesses by loosening restrictions that would make more theoretically safer outdoor space available which in turn allows for more distancing inside.

All of that to say...if you don’t want to be in that type of environment you’re not going to be a customer of that establishment anyway...so I’m not sure how the mayor is in any way doing wrong by the customers as you suggested. If you’re relying on the government to “protect” people that don’t care about the virus and insist on putting themselves in the highest risk environment possible...you’re going to be really disappointed. Close the tumbleweed down then the same crowd will be crammed into 10 different huge house parties. The threat isn’t great enough for college age and younger people to care about it... no leadership is going to change that.
The mayor can't do anything about Tumbleweed, since it's outside the city limits. Maybe Payne County where Tumbleweed is will be led to do something about the situation if it's found through contact tracing that a bunch of cases were spread at Tumbleweed. The current restrictions on city restaurants shouldn't be any different than on rural night clubs. It would only be okay to take off your mask while at a table.

I’m saying that everyone in the bar used their own free will and chose to go. Anyone who didn’t want to be in that situation could choose not to be a customer of that establishment. The mayor is considering both the customers who want to enjoy that type of environment and the business owners that want to stay open and avoid loosing their businesses by loosening restrictions that would make more theoretically safer outdoor space available which in turn allows for more distancing inside.

All of that to say...if you don’t want to be in that type of environment you’re not going to be a customer of that establishment anyway...so I’m not sure how the mayor is in any way doing wrong by the customers as you suggested. If you’re relying on the government to “protect” people that don’t care about the virus and insist on putting themselves in the highest risk environment possible...you’re going to be really disappointed. Close the tumbleweed down then the same crowd will be crammed into 10 different huge house parties. The threat isn’t great enough for college age and younger people to care about it... no leadership is going to change that.

I see your point but the idiots converging there are going to cause unwanted consequences for everyone, including the closure of OSU. There are a lot of OSU students there who are trying to get in-person instruction, enjoy their lives, and also adhere to basic guidelines to limit the spread of the virus. The people at the Tumbleweed probably aren’t even all OSU students.

I don’t blame the mayor here totally. What a sh-t job he has right now. There are probably folks who want him strung up for even suggesting a mask ordinance in the first place. In many ways, he is just a patsy for the university, trying to keep that college money flowing through Stillwater.

But it isn’t going to matter in three weeks or so when the university shuts down to in person instruction and most of the kids scatter to the wind. Hope the parties were EPIC.

Bar owners met with Stillwater City Council. They said things weren't as bad as they looked. The mayor will impose new regulations like the ones in the other college towns in Big 12 and do it in time for this weekend.
https://www.stwnewspress.com/news/local_news/osu-return-brings-covid-concerns/article_32434255-ad80-5317-9935-54b0db5399a5.html

In the last couple of weeks, Stillwater has gone up one notch for cities with most cases from 12 to 11. Early this summer it shot up to no 8 after restaurants, bars, gyms and salons reopened. Hopefully, totals won't go past no. 8 in coming weeks.