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Oklahoma City’s ‘shelter-in-place’ order will expire on April 30, Mayor David Holt says Share Shares Copy Link Copy

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WELL AS I CAN. WE APPEAR TO MEET THE CRITERIA TODAY BASED ON THE BEST AVAILABLE DATA WE HAVE AND I CAN CERTAINLY SAY WITH CONFIDENCE. WE ARE NOT IN ANY KIND OF SURGE. WE APPEAR TO BE IN SOME SORT OF DECLINE OR PERHAPS A PLATEAU AFTER A DECLINE. EV SAYING ALL OF THIS IS MAY 1ST THE DATE I WOULD HAVE PICKED GIVEN NO EXTERNAL FACTORS. ABSOLUTELY NOT. BUT I CANNOT DENY THAT THERE ARE EXTERNAL FACTORS AND THAT THEY ARE NOT IRRELEVANT. ALSO, I CANNOT DENY THAT T DATA IS IF NOT OVERWHELMING AT LEAST CAUTIOUSLY ENCOURAGING AND IT APPEARS TO SATISFY THE GATING CRITERIA TODAY. AS SUCH IT IS MY INTENTION TO LET OKLAHOMA CITY SHELTER IN PLACE ORDER EXPIRE ON APRIL 30TH. IN THE NEXT WEEK, I WILL REPLACE THE EXISTING PROCLAMATION WITH ONE THAT REFLECTS THE ELEMENTS OF A NEW PHASE IN OUR PANDEMIC RESPONSE. THAT WILL BE EFFECTIVE MAY FIRST. I DO NOT EXPECT THAT THIS PROXIMATION WILL DEVIATE FROM THE OPENINGS IN THE GOVERNOR STATEWIDE ORDERS. KEEP IN MIND AND I KNOW THIS CAN CONFUSING, BUT WE NEVER CLOSED NON-ESSENTIAL BUSINESSES IN OKLAHOMA CIT SEPARATELY FROM THE GOVERNOR. SO YOU DO NOT NEED TO LOOK TO OUR PROCLAMATION FOR GUIDANCE THERE. OUR PROCLAMATION WAS ALWAYS FOCUSED ON THE PLACES THAT ARE A HIGH RISK FOR SPREAD OF THE VIRUS. WHETHER THOSE PLACES ARE IN END OF QUESTION OF WHETHER THOSE PLACES ARE OPEN OR CLOSED I EXPECT OUR PROCLAMATION TO ALIGN WITH THE GOVERNOR’S EFFECTIVE MAY FIRST. HAVING SAID THAT THERE WILL BE MANY SOCIAL DISTANCING AND SANITATION CONDITIONS PLACED ON OPENINGS. SO THAT PUBLIC HEALTH IS STILL A PRIORITY. WE WILL CONSULT THE WHITE HOUSE GUIDELINES BEST NATIONAL PRACTICES AND OUR LOCAL PUBLIC HEALTH OFFICIALS TO DEVELOP THOSE CONDITIONS. IT IS MY UNDERSTANDING THAT THE STATE IS OFFERING SUCH CONDITIONS AT THE STATE LEVEL AS SUGGESTIONS. WILL NOT BE SUGGESTIONS IN OKLAHOMA CITY ALSO IN KEEPING WITH WHITE HOUSE RECOMMENDATIONS GATHERINGS OF TIN OR LARGER WILL STILL BE PROHIBITED. LET ME ALSO BE VERY CLEAR MAY 1ST IS STILL A WEEK AWAY. IF THERE IS A DRAMATIC CHANGE IN EXISTING TRENDS, WE WILL RE-EVALUATE. ALSO MAY 1ST I NOT A LIGHT SWITCH. IT IS A DIMMER. IF WE SHOW SIGNS O BECOMING A HOT SPOT, I WILL NOT HESITATE TO ACT AGGRESSIVELY AS DID NOT HESITATE BEFORE. I KNOW SOMETIMES IT CAN FEEL LIKE YOU’RE ALONE AND YOU WONDER IF YOUR LEADERS PRIORITIZE YOUR LIFE. WELL, I DO. AND I LIVE WITH THAT OBLIGATION EVERY DAY. AS SUCH I HAVE VERY MIXED EMOTIONS ABOUT THIS. YOU LIKELY DO AS WELL. IN FACT, I THINK THIS IS THE ARTIST SPEECH. I’VE GIVEN IN THIS F IN THIS PANDEMIC. BUT AS I HAVE THOUGHT ABOUT THIS, I RECOGNIZE THAT I WOULD ALWAYS HAVE MIXED EMOTIONS. BECAUSE UNTIL THERE IS A VACCINE OR TREATMENT THERE SIMPLY SIMPLY IS NO RIGHT ANSWER. WE COULD BE STANDING HERE TALKING ABOUT JUNE 1ST OR JULY FIRST. AND I WOULD FEEL ALMOST THE SAME. I AM NEVER GOING TO STAND HERE WITH A BIG SMILE ON MY FACE UNTIL THE DAY. WE HAVE A VACCINE OR A PROVEN TREATMENT. UNTIL THEN EVERY NEW PHASE. IS IT UNCOMFORTABLE BALANCING ACT? I DIDN’T FEEL VERY GOOD ON MARCH 17TH, EITHER. I DIDN’T SIGN UP TO BE THE MAYOR WHO CLOSED ALL THE BARS AT 5 O’CLOCK ON ST. PATRICK’S DAY. BUT EVEN AS I RECOGNIZE THAT NO NEW PHASE IN OUR PANDEMIC RESPONSE IS GOING TO FEEL COMFORTABLE. I RECOGNIZE WE HAVE TO MOVE OUT OF SHELTER IN PLACE AT SOME POINT. IF WE’RE GOING TO DO IT. LET’S LEAST DID RESOLVE TO DO IT SAFELY. JUST BECAUSE WE ARE OPENING THAT GOTTA PICK UP OPENING UP ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITIES, WHICH IS A VERY GOOD THING. DOES NOT HAVE TO INHERENTLY MEAN WE ARE OPENING UP NEW OPPORTUNITIES FOR SPREADING THIS VIRUS. IT CAN MEAN THAT BUT IT DOESN’T HAVE TO MEAN THAT. REMEMBER NOT ALL THE TOUGH CHOICES IN THIS PANDEMIC ARE MINE. IN FACT, I WOULD ARGUE MY ROLE IN THIS FIGHT IS MINOR COMPARED TO YOURS. IN THE DAYS WEEKS AND MONTHS AHEAD. YOU WILL MAKE 1000 CHOICES A DAY. THAT WILL DETERMINE YOUR FATE AND THE FATE OF THIS PANDEMIC. YOUR LIFE IS AT STAKE. AND SO ARE THE LIVES OF THOSE YOU LOVE. YOU MUST SOCIAL DISTANCE. YOU MUST WASH YOUR HANDS. YOU MUST WEAR A MASK. YOU SHOULD STILL TELEWORK OR OTHERWISE STAY HOME IF YOU CAN. IF YOU ARE A DECISION MAKER FOR A BUSINESS CHURCH, OR OTHER GROUP OF ANY KIND. YOU STILL HAVE TO MAKE DECISIONS KNOWING THERE IS A DEADLY VIRUS MAKING ITS WAY THROUGH OUR COMMUNITY. JUST BECAU YOU CAN DO SOMETHING DOESN’T MEAN YOU WILL AND I RESPECT THOSE DECISIONS. MAY 1ST MAY REPRESENT A NEW PHASE AND WE’VE EARNED IT THROUGH HARD WORK. BUT IT IS NOT A DAY TO RUN INTO THE STREETS AND HUG EACH OTHER. THIS VIRUS DOESN’T CARE THAT IT’S MAY FIRST. I PARKLAND MATION DOESN’T MAKE MAKE THE VIRUS GO AWAY. MAY 1ST IS THE DAY WE SHOULD RESOLVE TO CONTINUE THE ACTIONS NECESSARY TO HALT THE SPREA OF THIS VIRUS AND CONTINUE SAVING LIVES. WE CONTROL WHETHER THE CHANGES ON MAY 1ST WILL LEAD TO A NEW PEAK. IN FACT, WE CONTROL ALL THE PEAKS AHEAD. YOU CAN THROW OUT THE MODELS BECAUSE IF YOU WANT A PEEK 2 WEEKS FROM NOW WE HAVE THE DARK POWER TO MAKE THAT HAPPEN ANY DAY OF THE WEEK. LET’S USE OUR POWERS FOR GOOD. I HAVE REASON TO BELIEVE AFTER THIS EXPERIENCE OF THE LAST MONTH. THAT YOU WIL AND WHILE WE WAIT FOR A VACCINE OR A TREATMENT WE AS A CITY STATE AND NATION MUST CONTINUE OUR EFFORTS TO CREATE A ROBUST TESTING TRACING AND QUARANTINING PROGRAM THAT CAN GIVE PEOPL THE CONFIDENCE. THEY NEED TO REGAIN SOME NORMALCY. THIS SHOULD BE THE PRIORITY OF POLITICAL LEADERS BUSINESS LEADERS AND PUBLIC HEALTH OFFICIALS BECAUSE IT IS A FALSE. HOPE TO BELIEVE THAT MAY 1ST WILL BRING A FULL ECONOMIC RETURN. THE VIRUS IS KEEPING PEOPLE HOME MORE THAN A PROCLAMATION IS. I COMMIT TO YOU THE YOUR LOCAL GOVERNMENT IS GOING TO DO EVERYTHING IT CAN TO BRING ABOUT THE INFRASTRUCTURE IN THIS AREA THAT WE NEED. AND WE SHOULD ALSO RESOLVED TO CONTINUE TAKING CARE OF THOSE WHO ARE SUFFERING. JUST BECAUSE THE GOVERNMENT HAS UNLOCKED THE DOORS WILL NOT MEAN THAT THE CUSTOMERS WILL OPEN THEM. ASK YOU TO SUPPORT OUR LOCAL STATE AND FEDERAL GOVERNMENTAL EFFORTS TO CARE FOR THOSE WHO ARE MOST AFFECTED. ASK YOU TO DONATE TO PHILANTHROPIC EFFORTS SHOP FROM LOCAL BUSINESSES AND SUPPORT EACH OTHER ON AN INDIVIDUAL LEVEL. I’M STILL SENDING THEN MOST TO THE PERSON WHO CUTS MY HAIR EVERY TIME I WOULD HAVE HAD A HAIRCUT. I’M NOT SURE WHEN I WILL GET BACK IN THAT CHAIR. BUT I DO THE VENMO THEY’RE STILL COMING. THIS WILL BE A LONG JOURNEY AND IN THE WORDS OF CHURCHILL. THIS IS NOT THE END. IT IS NOT EVEN THE BEGINNING OF THE END. IT IS PERHAPS END OF THE BEGINNING SO AS WE POTENTIALY MOVE INTO A NEW PHASE, WHAT DID WE ACCOMPLISH IN THIS BEGINNING? FIRST OF ALL AS I HAVE DEMONSTRATED HERE EVERY WEEK WHEN I COMPARE OUR NUMBERS TO OTHER CITIES YOU HAVE SAVED LIVES. YOU STOPPED AN OUTBREAK WHEN OUR HEALTH CARE SYSTEM AND WHEN WE INDIVIDUALS WERE LEAST PREPARED. YOU BOUGHT US TIME. A LOT OF WORK IS HAPPENING BEHIND THE SCENES THIS LAST MONTH, ESPECIALLY IN THE HEALTHCARE SECTOR THAT WILL PREPARE US. SHOULD WE HAVE PEAK STILL AHEAD OF US? AND MEANWHILE ALL OF US INDIVIDUALLY HAVE CONDITIONED OURSELVES FOR THE ROAD AHEAD. WE WEREN’T READY FOR THIS NEW PHASE ON MARCH 15TH. WE WEREN’T READY FOR ANY OF THIS. WE ARE NOW. I’M VERY OPTIMISTIC THAT PEOPLE WILL RESPOND WISELY IN THE WEEKS AHEAD IN THE DECISIONS THEY THEY MAKE FOR THEMSELVES AND OTHERS. I BELIEVE WE WILL ALL MAKE BETTER DECISIONS THAN WE WOULD HAVE MADE ON MARCH 15TH, BECAUSE WE HAVE SEEN A THING OR TWO THESE LAST SIX WEEKS. I BELIEVE WE AS INDIVIDUALS. CARS READY FOR THIS IS WE’RE GOING TO BE MARK TWAIN SUPPOSEDLY SAID HISTORY DOESN’T REPEAT BUT IT OFTEN RHYMES IN 1918, OKLAHOM CITY WAITED 11 DAYS TO CLOSE ANYTHING AFTER THEIR FIRST CASE OF LOCAL SPREAD ULTIMATELY MORE THAN 7,000 OKLAHOMANS DIED FROM SPANISH FLU MA OF THEM IN OKLAHOMA CITY. HOSPITALS WERE OVERRUN IN CHURCHES WERE CONVERTED TO HOUSE THE SICK. JUST OVER A MONTH LATER MUCH WISER, THE WORST HAD SEEMINGLY PAST AND THEY REOPENED MANY OF THE GATHERING PLACES. THEY HAD CLOSED WITH CONDITIONS IN PLACE THAT LASTED MANY WEEKS MORE. THREATS OF ANOTHER OUTBREAK LOOMED FOR MANY MONTHS BUT SOMETIME IN 1919 THE THREAT HAD PASSED. THIS TOO SHALL PASS FOR US. BUT I DOESN’T PASS ON APRIL 30TH. THIS IS A CHAPTER IN OUR JOURNEY. ARE YOU SURE YOU THERE IS ANOTHER CHAPTER ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THIS ONE AND WE’LL GET THERE TOGETHER. WE’RE ALL IN THIS TOGETHER AS ALWAYS I WANT TO THANK THE FRONTLINE WORKERS IN THE HEALTHCARE SECTOR AND SO MANY OTHERS THAT HAVE MADE IT POSSIBLE FOR US TO SHELTER SHELTER IN PLACE THIS LAST MONTH. AND NOW I’D LIKE TO BRING TO THE STAGE A MAN YOU HARDLY NEEDS AN INTRODUCTION AT THIS POINT, BUT A MAN WHO LEADS A TEAM THAT IS CERTAINLY RESPONSIBLE FOR SAVING THOUSANS OF LIVES I OUR CITY DURING THIS PANDEMIC. THANK YOU. DR. PATRICK MCGOUGH FOR YOUR WISE COUNSEL AS WE H