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DILLON: HE’S LOOKING AT THOSE MODELS WE HAVE BEEN TALKING SO MUCH ABOUT THAT ARE FORECASTING THE NUMBER OF HOSPITAL BEDS, VENTILATORS WE NEED. THOSE MODELS WILL SHOW THAT WE NEED FEWER OF THOSE THINGS WHICH IS GOOD NEWS. THE GOVERNOR ALSO SAYING THAT EVEN AS WE LOOK TO HOW WE WILL REOPEN, WE HAVE TO CONTINUE THE COURSE FOR NOW. GOV. STITT: JUST A LITTLE BIT LONGER. I WANT EVERYONE TO STAY HOME, STAY SAFE. DILLON: THAT MESSAGE TONIGHT, WE HAVE TO STAY THE COURSE FOR NOW. BUT, STITT SAYING WE NEED TO BE PREPARED TO REOPEN WHEN THE TIME COMES AND DO IT SAFELY. GOV. STITT: WE’RE GOING TO MONITOR THIS DATA DAY AND NIGHT TO MAKE SURE THAT NOTHING SPIKES AND NO TRENDS GO THE DIFFERENT DIRECTION, BECAUSE THAT WOULD BE THE LAST THING WE WOULD WANT, TO SLOWLY START OPENING THINGS BACK UP POST-APRIL 30 AND WE SEE SOME KIND OF SPIKE. DILLON: SOME CHANGES TO HIS EXECUTIVE ORDERS THIS EVENING. THE SAFER AT HOME ORDER FOR PEOPLE OLDER THAN 65 AND WITH COVID RISK FACTORS EXTENDED UNTIL MAY 6. BUT, THE BAN ON ELECTIVE SURGERIES SHORTENED. IT NOW ENDS ON APRIL 24. THE OTHER ORDERS LIKE THE ONE CLOSING NON-ESSENTIAL BUSINESSES AND LIMITING GATHERINGS STILL IN PLACE UNTIL APRIL 30. ONE THING I WANT TO POINT OUT -- KEEP IN MIND THAT THE COVID MODEL, THE ONE THE WHITE HOUSE HAS TALKED ABOUT, THE ONE THE GOVERNOR CITED TODAY -- IT ASSUMES WE WILL KEEP SOCIAL DISTANCING THROUGH THE END OF MAY. ONE CAVEAT WHEN WE SEE THOSE IMPROVING NUMBERS. HOWEVER WHEN YOU LOOK AT THOSE NUMBERS, THEY ARE CERTAINLY IMPROVING FROM WEEK TO WEEK AND THAT MODEL. AS THE GOVERNOR SAID, WE WILL KEEP WATCHING HOW SAFELY WE REOPEN THE STATE BUT FOR NOW WE HAVE

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Gov. Kevin Stitt on Wednesday announced the extension of the state’s safer-at-home order for the vulnerable population and that the state and health officials are working on a safe plan to reopen Oklahoma.Coronavirus in Oklahoma: Latest local headlines The safer-at-home order, which urges people 65 years old and older and people with compromised immune systems to stay at home because of the coronavirus pandemic, has been extended to May 6. According to models and data, Stitt said Oklahoma's peak is now expected to be April 30, which is when the safer-at-home order was initially set to expire.Stitt also said he has been talking to mayors across the state and health officials to create a plan that would reopen restaurants and other nonessential businesses. For the last several weeks, restaurants have been limited to providing only take-out and curbside services as part of the state’s and several cities’ orders to limit the spread of the virus.The governor also announced that elective surgeries will be allowed to resume April 24. When Stitt initially prohibited elective surgeries in Oklahoma because of the coronavirus, abortion was listed as a medical procedure that was banned, prompting a lawsuit from various groups and federal judges to rule that abortion services could continue until at least April 20.The announcement comes after the Oklahoma State Department of Health said 2,263 Oklahomans have tested positive for the coronavirus and 123 people had died as of April 15. Health officials also said 510 people have been hospitalized.State health department officials also reported April 14 that 1,155 Oklahomans have recovered from the virus. By Oklahoma health officials' definition, a recovered patient is currently not hospitalized or deceased and it has been 14 days after onset/report.Although Stitt and state officials are working to reopen Oklahoma, the governor continues to urge people to practice social distancing and to wear masks when in public, per the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s recommendation. “We are going to get through this,” Stitt said. “The light is at the end of the tunnel.” W2lmcmFtZSBzcmM9Imh0dHBzOi8vZDJjbXZicTdzeHgzM2ouY2xvdWRmcm9udC5uZXQvZW1haWwvcHJvZF9jb3JvbmF2aXJ1c19pZnJhbWVfYXJ0aWNsZS5odG1sIiBoZWlnaHQ9IjQxNCIgc3R5bGU9IndpZHRoOjEwMCU7Ym9yZGVyOm5vbmU7b3ZlcmZsb3c6aGlkZGVuIiBzY3JvbGxpbmc9Im5vIiBmcmFtZWJvcmRlcj0iMCIgYWxsb3dUcmFuc3BhcmVuY3k9InRydWUiXVsvaWZyYW1lXQ==