Based on my reading of media reports & comments on this wonderful web site, there seems to be a bit of confusion in the aftermath of the Governor’s announcement yesterday. I can’t speak for the Gov, but will try here to provide a little clarity for the benefit of our residents.
The Governor issues proclamations for the state and mayors issue proclamations for their cities. A resident of a city has to look to both. Think of it as state laws and city ordinances. One has to be aware of both.
Having said that, for everyone’s convenience, I have always believed that if they speak to the same issue, it is my preference that proclamations on COVID-19 at the state and city levels be essentially aligned.
Governor Stitt closed all non-essential businesses statewide in late March. The city did never did that, other than to reference the Governor’s order in our proclamation. No one ever has to look to the city for any direction on that issue.
Everything about the essential / non-essential issue has always been a question for the Governor. If you have any questions about that issue, look only to the Governor’s orders.
Separately, Oklahoma City did close certain places of business where the risk of spreading the virus was high. This would include things like restaurant dining rooms, gyms, and personal care services (such as hair and nail salons). The Governor also closed those things.
Our last city proclamation was issued in early April and lasts through April 30th, and so those things are closed through that date in Oklahoma City. No new decision was made this week, that’s just a standing proclamation that has been in place for almost a month.
On the relatively narrow topic of hair & nail salons, the Governor is lifting his closure of those facilities effective April 24th, but as he said in his press conference Wednesday, that will not be effective where a city proclamation has already closed them through April 30th.
That’s the entirety of the hair and nail salon issue. It’s not that complicated and it’s not that dramatic.
In every single respect, other than the relatively minor issue of hair and nail salons, there is no functional difference between the state and local proclamations relative to COVID-19 through April 30th. I see many comments that seem to indicate otherwise & they are not correct.
Yesterday, the Governor expressed his plans for the state after April 30th. He is now executing those plans through his orders. OKC does not have any existing proclamations that are effective after April 30th, so there is no current conflict.
As I said yesterday, as we consider what we’re going to do in Oklahoma City after April 30th, we’re looking at the White House criteria for entering a new phase in pandemic response, we’re looking at public health data and we’re certainly cognizant of the Governor’s plan.
There’s a process to everything and we have to go through ours. As I said yesterday, we’ll have local plans to share when we have them.
Be well, OKC.
Be well, OKC.
