Eight days after being notified of our first case, I announced a ban on events of 250 or more in city facilities, based on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidance to other states. We encouraged all groups to follow this guidance to slow the spread of the virus.

That night, the governor of our state posted a photo on social media of him and his family enjoying a night out in a crowded food hall and encouraged others to do the same.

While it created a national media firestorm, I understand why he did it. It’s frightening for elected leaders not to know when this crisis will end and how badly it will damage our economies.

Navigating that line between protecting people from a deadly virus and protecting them from poverty is one that elected leaders are grappling with at every level of government.

Two days after that food hall post, again based on the guidance of our local health department, I ordered the closure of all bars, entertainment venues and restaurants (except for takeout and delivery). We also reduced our event attendance maximum to 50 people, in line with revised C.D.C. guidance.

Aside from the death of family members, it was the worst day of my life. I was knowingly causing the unemployment of thousands in our city, and I was shutting down the dreams of so many entrepreneurs who have put their all into building a great restaurant scene in Tulsa.

But I knew it was necessary to save lives in Tulsa.

The pushback was immediate, but interestingly it was not from restaurant owners. Most of them with whom I spoke didn’t want their staff exposed to the virus by patrons, and they didn’t want to be the cause of people spreading the virus. They also wanted all restaurants to be treated the same way.