Name: Federal report recommends roll back on reopening for Oklahoma, 17 other states
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Federal report recommends roll back on reopening for Oklahoma, 17 other states

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Posted: Jul 20, 2020 / 06:19 PM CDTUpdated: Jul 20, 2020 / 06:20 PM CDTThis is an archived article and the information in the article may be outdated. Please look at the time stamp on the story to see when it was last updated.OKLAHOMA CITY (KFOR) — An unpublished document prepared for the White House&nbsp;&nbsp;task force and&nbsp;, recommends that 18 states in the coronavirus “red zone” for cases should roll back reopening measures amid surging cases, including Oklahoma.The “red zone” is defined in the 359-page report curated by the nonprofit newsroom as “those core-based statistical areas (CBSAs) and counties that during the last week reported both new cases above 100 per 100,000 population, and a diagnostic test positivity result above 10%.”The report outlines measures counties in the red zone should take. It encourages residents to “wear a mask at all times outside the home and maintain physical distance.” And it recommends that public officials “close bars and gyms” and “limit social gatherings to 10 people or fewer,” which would mean rolling back reopening provisions in these places.The report comes despite&nbsp;&nbsp;insistence that states reopen and a push to send the nation’s children back to school, even as cases increase.“Now we’re open, and we want to stay open and we will stay open. We’re not closing. We’ll put out the fires as they come out,” Trump said at a White House event earlier this month.The following 18 states are in the red zone for cases: Alabama, Arkansas, Arizona, California, Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Idaho, Kansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, Nevada, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas and Utah.“There were a number of places in Oklahoma that were identified as problem areas,” Liz Essley Whyte, a reporter with the Center for Public Integrity, told News 4.&nbsp;Those problem areas include Oklahoma City, Tulsa and Miami.&nbsp;“The report that we released, there was no, you know, counting up of how many states were in the red zone. We did that ourselves to count them up. There was no comprehensive look at that,” Whyte said.&nbsp;The report noted Oklahoma had 102 new cases per 100,000 population last week, which was a 47.7% change from the previous week.&nbsp;The report made several recommendations for Oklahoma’s hot spot areas including a mask mandate, which already exists in Oklahoma City and Tulsa, closing bars and gyms in hot spot counties and limiting indoor dining to 25% capacity.&nbsp;The report also said the following 11 states are in the red zone for test positivity: Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, Nevada, South Carolina, Texas, Washington. The 11 states in the red zone for test positivity are also in the red zone for cases, with the exception of Washington state.Whyte said all of the governors should have received the report. News 4 contacted Governor Stitt’s office.&nbsp;Here’s what KFOR received in reply:“The governor and Interim Commissioner of Health Lance Frye cited the White House report when rolling out Oklahoma’s COVID-19 alert system on July 9.Our four-color alert system is based off of the White House methodology model for new cases per 100,000 population.With OSDH’s alert system, we added an “orange” risk category that reflects the methodology that the White House has provided. A county is elevated to the “red risk” category if they meet one of four additional gates, as established by OSDH, that would indicate emerging challenges in the delivery of healthcare services. The governor will continue to monitor recommendations issued by the White House. In the meantime, the governor and OSDH are actively providing local communities with critical data so they can make informed decisions on the local level.”Suggest a CorrectionThanks for signing up!Watch for us in your inbox.Subscribe NowThanks for signing up!Watch for us in your inbox.Subscribe NowYour browser does not support the iframe HTML tag. Try viewing this in a modern browser like Chrome, Safari, Firefox or InternetExplorer 9 or later.Thanks for signing up!Watch for us in your inbox.Subscribe Now✕× Close Ad

Posted: Jul 20, 2020 / 06:19 PM CDTUpdated: Jul 20, 2020 / 06:20 PM CDTThis is an archived article and the information in the article may be outdated. Please look at the time stamp on the story to see when it was last updated.OKLAHOMA CITY (KFOR) — An unpublished document prepared for the White House&nbsp;&nbsp;task force and&nbsp;, recommends that 18 states in the coronavirus “red zone” for cases should roll back reopening measures amid surging cases, including Oklahoma.The “red zone” is defined in the 359-page report curated by the nonprofit newsroom as “those core-based statistical areas...

Federal report recommends roll back on reopening for Oklahoma, 17 other states

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