Gov. Stitt’s office withheld White House COVID-19 report recommendations from public

OKLAHOMA CITY (KFOR) – White House reports focused on recommendations specifically for Oklahoma’s COVID-19 response have, until this week, been withheld from local health officials across the state. The most recent report states Oklahoma needs a statewide mask mandate and that bars must close.

“We’re truly disappointed that Gov. Stitt and our leadership hasn’t shared information,” said Dr. George Monks, president of the Oklahoma State Medical Association.

He and other local health officials have expressed frustration that White House Coronavirus Task Force reports, and information from Dr. Deborah Birx’s visit to the state Sunday, have not been shared with the public, or even those who make public health decisions.

“It’s very concerning that the only way we’re finding out about these reports is that they’ve been leaked,” Dr. Monks said.

The Center for Public Integrity has obtained and published the reports, the most recent of which was released this week. Click here for that report.

The report said “Oklahoma is in the red zone for cases,” 15th in the country for most new cases and 11th in the country for highest positivity last week.

“What’s concerning is there’s a big discrepancy between what the national maps show and what the state health department cover map shows,” said Dr. Monks. “Our kids are going back to school right now and they’re relying on information, and nationally, Oklahoma is still shown as a red or at-risk state. It puts us all at risk if we’re not given this information, especially those in healthcare and education.”

As for recommendations, the Task Force wrote a “mask mandate needs to be implemented statewide” and “bars must be closed,” recommendations that so far have been ignored by the governor.

Following Dr. Birx’s visit, Stitt was asked what was recommended in the meeting. He responded saying, “There wasn’t really any recommendations that she made in this meeting, we’ve already taken all the White House recommendations.”

On Friday, the governor declined requests for an interview and wouldn’t explain why the information was not shared with local officials, or why the state has not complied with the White House recommendations.

Stitt released the following statement:

“Every week, we review and discuss the COVID-19 guidance that comes to us from Washington, DC.

The most recent State Report for Oklahoma, prepared by The White House Coronavirus Task Force on Aug. 16 and issued to the states on Aug. 17, was shared earlier this week with the Tulsa Health Department and OKC-County Health Department, and we have asked the Oklahoma State Department of Health (OSDH) to begin making the reports publicly available each week by posting them to the coronavirus.health.ok.gov dashboard.

My administration issued a Public Health Advisory to strongly recommend statewide face coverings for high-risk individuals and communal living facilities as well as additional measures for counties included in the orange and red risk level categories in the color-coded COVID-19 Alert System.

Orange and Red Counties: Individuals age 11 and older wear face coverings in public settings, with exemptions including while eating at a restaurant, in a private office space, or at a religious ceremony where physical distancing can be achieved.

Orange and Red Counties: Restaurant staff wear face coverings and tables should maintain six feet of distance or more.

Statewide: Individuals age 11 and older wear face coverings when visiting nursing homes, long-term care facilities, retirement homes, medical facilities, prisons, or other communal living facilities.

Statewide: With the “Safer in Oklahoma” policy, individuals entering the State of Oklahoma from an area with substantial community spread, will wear a face covering in all public spaces and limit participating indoor gatherings for 10-14 days in accordance with CDC guidelines.

The rate of positive cases is declining in Oklahoma and hospitalizations have remained stable.I remain encouraged by the steadfast resolve of Oklahoma’s frontline workers as they aggressively combat this virus. Let’s continue to come together as Oklahomans by following guidelines and furthering our downward trend.”

Gov. Kevin Stitt

Interim Health Commissioner Col. Lance Frye, M.D., also sent a statement, which is as follows:

“The Oklahoma State Department of Health (OSDH) remains steadfast in its commitment to protect the health, safety, and well-being of all Oklahomans, and we are very appreciative of the expert guidance and support offered by the White House Coronavirus Task Force.

During Dr. Deborah Birx’s visit, she said she supported our robust statewide response efforts by empowering local decision-making through a depth of science-driven, transparent data. We will continue to provide this important data and support local leaders in making often difficult decisions for each community’s unique circumstances.

On July 9, OSDH issued a COVID-19 Risk Alert Map in accordance with early White House guidance, and our guidance with this Risk Alert Map recommended face coverings in orange counties. In the days following, 16 cities representing Oklahoma’s most densely populated cities and greater than 40% of the State’s total population to action to enact face covering policies. We are taking the White House’s recommendations and creating solutions that encourage effective actions at the local level.

The measures are working to slow the spread of COVID-19 in Oklahoma and contributing to declining cases and hospitalizations. Wearing a face covering is a good thing for everyone to do to take personal and social responsibility, and we continue to strongly recommend people continue to follow CDC guidance on social distancing and hand washing, and encourage all Oklahomans to remain vigilant and to get tested regularly.

This week’s White House Coronavirus Task Force – State Report has been posted to our coronavirus.health.ok.gov COVID-19 dashboard and we will continue to share this report each week.”

Col. Lance Frye, M.D., Interim Health Commissioner

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