We can drag people like the ones who went to the Victory Christian event last night but 1) They’re not going to see it because they probably don’t follow people they disagree with and 2) On the off chance they do, they won’t give a shit.
We’re 8 months in. They care or don’t.
Everyone has a different take, but personally I’m doing the reporting I am for the audience who wants it, keeping it accessible for newcomers who changed their minds on their own. I won’t be changing anyone’s mind on whether this is real or not.
Members of my own family, knowing what I do, think it’s a hoax. I can’t compete with their resonance chamber. Not trying
Ok last thing. We’re having these press conferences with hospital chief medical officers asking people to wear masks. They’re great, rousing speeches that need to be said. But who tunes into those, isn’t wearing a mask, and is open to change? No one
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Oklahoma City Mayor David Holt: We are having an update for the first time since July. "That in and of itself says something about the state of COVID-19 in Oklahoma City."
Holt: Many will say their first a-ha moment was in early March. "I hope today to leave you with another a-ha moment." June and July brought a second wave. November has brought a a third wave.
Holt: Over September and October, we saw a gradual rise. Not a wave, but steady growth. Hospitalizations were significantly higher than in the second wave. That's how we entered November. "The tsunami arrived."
Gov. Kevin Stitt is kicking off today's Oklahoma coronavirus update. He has Commissioner of Health Lance Frye and Oklahoma Restaurant Association President Jim Hopper. I'll be tweeting here.
Stitt: My first priority throughout the pandemic has been protecting health and lives. I've had two others. "We're going to keep our businesses open safely. And we're going to get all kids back in school at the end of Christmas break."
Stitt: I am implementing the following new rules. Starting Thursday, all restaurants must be six feet apart or have dividers. All restaurants and bars will all be closing by 11 p.m.
Tulsa is giving its coronavirus update. Health Department Executive Director Bruce Dart calls the county's case rate astounding. Watch here. facebook.com/cityoftulsa/vi…
Dart: We all know how important family is in the holidays, but family gatherings are one of the most common transmission sites. "Celebrating virtually or with members of your household poses the lowest risk of spread."
Waiting for the latest state-level coronavirus update. OU Health is one of the organization's represented, and here is their link to the live stream.
Gov. Kevin Stitt starts out. He's introducing several hospital executives and leaders. "To all the doctors, the nurses, the therapists, the health care professionals across the state, I want to tell you personally, thank you." We know you're carrying the weight here.
Commissioner of Health Lance Frye: We want to assure the public that the state and hospitals are working on a collaborative pandemic response. "The trends we are seeing are concerning." Slowing the spread will take every Oklahoman working together, doing the right thing.
Personal nitpick: We keep hearing comparisons between mask mandates and seatbelts. Seatbelts are designed to protect the wearer and pose less of a shared responsibility than a mask does. I think it's a weak parallel.
Seatbelt laws, that is.
DUI laws are probably better? They're designed to keep you from dying but also to keep you from killing other people.
Oklahoma House Minority Leader Emily Virgin is holding a presser right now about coronavirus response. She's calling for a statewide mask mandate, either by Stitt or by #okleg in special session.
Virgin: First, we heard it's a freedom issue. Then we heard it's unenforceable. Other states and peer reviewed studies have disproven all of this. "The governor is frankly running out of excuses for his failed leadership, and Oklahomans are dying as he does."
Virgin: My own parents contracted the virus and were hospitalized. My mother was in the ICU. "I know personally what families all across Oklahoma are going through."