Covid-19 in OKC (coronavirus)

[Edmond Hausfrau]

How about we make people wishing to talk fill out a questionnaire before they're allowed to speak and if they're batsh*t crazy, they don't get to? And yes, at this point, the "authorization" *temporary* way of doing things is more efficient and called for. States and municipalities have all kinds of power at their disposal during public health emergencies that have been found constitutional.

That would eliminate most everyone on this forum, myself included...

[LocoAko]

The informational meeting the City Council is having this morning is really insightful, and these doctors are not holding back with their recommendations. They have emphasized the unknown long term impacts of this virus, the mortality rate, and the notion that herd immunity via just letting it spread is not a realistic or moral possibility (it would result in ~11,000 deaths in OKC metro alone). If I followed correctly, they are also requesting restrictions on gatherings of more than 25 people and shutting down all bars and restaurants again for up to 4 weeks (unclear on if only indoor or both indoor/outdoor). They are also adamant about mandatory mask usage and are warning of major troubles ahead for our hospitals, particularly once flu season begins (obviously not breaking news here, but still important to emphasize).

[TheTravellers]

CDC Stops reporting hospital data

https://www.cdc.gov/nhsn/covid19/rep...nt-impact.html

Gosh, I'm shocked. Only took two days, I am shocked at that, thought it might be a week or so before that started happening. So I'm guessing that info just transitioned somewhere over to the HHS website and is available to the public over there?

[Pete]

628 new cases today.

6 more people have died.

[PoliSciGuy]

Has anyone ever accused you for begin an elitist IRL? Tell me when is the public informed enough to be heard? Is it when they have the right think? I believe we spoke earlier about how important it is to have the consent of the governed. But I get it, the authorization way of doing things is more efficient. What is the worst that can happen right?

Consent of the governed absolutely is important. However that consent is derived through the ballot box. Every member of the Council is up for election, so if the public does not like their decisions they have recourse through exercising their freedom to vote. That is essential in a democracy. However, we also elect leaders to respond to complex, time-sensitive issues like this on our behalf. In most cases public input is good. However in this case, with cases rising daily and time being of the essence, delaying the vote for even one day ensures that more Oklahomans get sick, hospitalized, and ultimately die. Also the science on masks is as close to unanimous as you would find in a scientific community. Unless the public has a cache of peer reviewed studies done and that somehow refute what’s already out there, there really is not much else to discuss here.

[Bill Robertson]

Emailed mine and told him to vote YES!

So did I

[jedicurt]

Consent of the governed absolutely is important. However that consent is derived through the ballot box.

this is what has gotten me here lately... people have confused democratic freedom with anarchy... thinking that they can literally do whatever they want, because the government for some reason can't provide protection for the population. it's like the Supreme Court hasn't already ruled on this (Jacobson v Massachusetts). anyways, i'm hopeful that more cities will pass mandates. and i'm liking what i'm seeing from businesses as well. Walmart already is requiring, and i heard Target is going to now aswell? that's great!

[Pete]

Florida with another 14,000 new cases today.

156 more people have died just in that state.

The U.S. has now had more than 140,000 Covid-19 deaths.

[Pete]

Here are the exceptions to the Tulsa mask order just signed into effect.

Not they do not except churches:

[jerrywall]

Gosh, I'm shocked. Only took two days, I am shocked at that, thought it might be a week or so before that started happening. So I'm guessing that info just transitioned somewhere over to the HHS website and is available to the public over there?

They should have absolutely had the new systems in place BEFORE taking down the old access points. This is typical bungling (although I wouldn't limit it just to the current admin, when it involves government systems - I've got some stories I could share as I'm sure you could to - it definitely is MORE typical currently). I may be naively hopeful, but I still am anticipating all the data being transitioned and being available in some form or another on the HHS site. I imagine it may not have the same boards or charts that the CDC site has, so people may have to adjust. What I don't understand is that if the CDC is still getting access to the data why they wouldn't continue to keep these boards current regardless.

[Ohwiseone]

So, I have been watching this Health Department/OKC Council meeting off and on over the past 3 hours or so.

One of the recommendations from the Country Health Department was to intermittently close bars and restaurants. There was some discussion about this, the question being that it would be very patchwork since someone could drive to Edmond or Bethany and eat inside but can't in OKC. So I am going to be curious if that is going to be voted on tomorrow.

However, the mask ordinance has had some interesting discussion, lots more council-members for it, then against it. I think.

[jerrywall]

So, I have been watching this Health Department/OKC Council meeting off and on over the past 3 hours or so.

One of the recommendations from the Country Health Department was to intermittently close bars and restaurants. There was some discussion about this, the question being that it would be very patchwork since someone could drive to Edmond or Bethany and eat inside but can't in OKC. So I am going to be curious if that is going to be voted on tomorrow.

However, the mask ordinance has had some interesting discussion, lots more people for it, than against it. I think.

I've never agreed with this logic. I don't think MORE people will eat out in certain areas to offset the areas where less folks are. If you have 100 restaurants across the metro and 70 of them are covered by a mandate to close, there's still going to be a SIGNIFICANT reduction in transmission and exposure. Fine, we may not see a full 70% drop (although I'd argue that the action of closing the businesses will work as a deterrent for many people going out), it would still be a fairly large drop. Any reduction is certainly better than nothing.

Also, considering that the restaurant and bar industry is our (I think) second largest employer sector in the the state, it's a lot of employees getting a little more protection if their employer is forced to close.

[oklip955]

If this passes in Okc, I wonder if some of the other cities such as Edmond, Midwest City etc will follow.

[TheTravellers]

... the question being that it would be very patchwork since someone could drive to Edmond or Bethany and eat inside but can't in OKC. ...

That has been something that seems to have been overlooked - OKC can do all it wants, but if Yukon, Shawnee, Moore, Del City, MWC, Bethany, Edmond, The Village, Nichols Hills, Arcadia, Piedmont, Luther, Forest Park, Spencer, Nicoma Park, Norman, et al don't do their part, a mask mandate isn't going to be nearly as effective. "1492 in Automobile Alley requires masks, let's go to the one in Casady Square, they're in The Village, which doesn't". This is why we need some kind of state-level mandate, for maybe counties over a certain number of cases.

[soonerguru]

Emailed mine and told him to vote YES!

Thank you!

[soonerguru]

So did I

Thank you!

[soonerguru]

That has been something that seems to have been overlooked - OKC can do all it wants, but if Yukon, Shawnee, Moore, Del City, MWC, Bethany, Edmond, The Village, Nichols Hills, Arcadia, Piedmont, Luther, Forest Park, Spencer, Nicoma Park, Norman, et al don't do their part, a mask mandate isn't going to be nearly as effective. "1492 in Automobile Alley requires masks, let's go to the one in Casady Square, they're in The Village, which doesn't". This is why we need some kind of state-level mandate, for maybe counties over a certain number of cases.

First things first. OKC needs to pass its own and then we can lobby the burbs.

[RustytheBailiff]

Thank you!

I emailed them all -- they don't know where I live or if they represent me or not.


WEAR MASKS SAVE LIVES

[RustytheBailiff]

That has been something that seems to have been overlooked - OKC can do all it wants, but if Yukon, Shawnee, Moore, Del City, MWC, Bethany, Edmond, The Village, Nichols Hills, Arcadia, Piedmont, Luther, Forest Park, Spencer, Nicoma Park, Norman, et al don't do their part, a mask mandate isn't going to be nearly as effective. "1492 in Automobile Alley requires masks, let's go to the one in Casady Square, they're in The Village, which doesn't". This is why we need some kind of state-level mandate, for maybe counties over a certain number of cases.

That's why we needed a nationwide mask mandate months ago -- but we didn't so here we are....



WEAR MASKS SAVE LIVES

[Bill Robertson]

Would intermittently closing bars and restaurants be better than limiting capacity all the time. I would feel more comfortable going to eat with 30% capacity than on some given night and the place be full.

[Jersey Boss]

That has been something that seems to have been overlooked - OKC can do all it wants, but if Yukon, Shawnee, Moore, Del City, MWC, Bethany, Edmond, The Village, Nichols Hills, Arcadia, Piedmont, Luther, Forest Park, Spencer, Nicoma Park, Norman, et al don't do their part, a mask mandate isn't going to be nearly as effective. "1492 in Automobile Alley requires masks, let's go to the one in Casady Square, they're in The Village, which doesn't". This is why we need some kind of state-level mandate, for maybe counties over a certain number of cases.

Don't include Norman in that list of do nothing suburbs. We lead, not follow.

[TheTravellers]

Would intermittently closing bars and restaurants be better than limiting capacity all the time. I would feel more comfortable going to eat with 30% capacity than on some given night and the place be full.

Limiting capacity all the time would be the more responsible move, IMO.

[jerrywall]

This is an interesting read on the history of anti-maskers (I'm especially amused by the used of "sanitary spartacans").

https://untappedcities.com/2020/07/1...7-k9zElFApZT8U

[TheTravellers]

Don't include Norman in that list of do nothing suburbs. We lead, not follow.

I know, they've already been better than every city in the state, had to put them in for completeness' sake.

[Ohwiseone]

What I think might happen, and this is going off of previous precedent through all of these previous actions.

I think you'll see OKC follow Tulsa in doing a mask ordinance.

I do not know if they will do the closing of restaurants, capping public indoor occupancy at 25 people.

I am probably wrong, but the biggest discussion that is happening is around those two recommendations specifically.