Name: Stitt says his safer-at-home order is the same as a shelter in place, is it?
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Stitt says his safer-at-home order is the same as a shelter in place, is it?

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sharesThis content is being provided for free as a public service to our readers during the coronavirus outbreak. If local news is important to you, considerGov. Kevin Stitt said Friday his safer-at-home order is essentially the same as shelter-in-place orders issued by the governors of California and New York.Although the directives share some similarities, Stitt’s policy mandates only those who are over age 65 or have “serious underlying medical conditions” must remain home.Most other governors are asking all residents, not just those who might be more susceptible to COVID-19, to stay home.In a Friday , Stitt defended his safer-at-home order, first issued on March 24 and expanded to all 77 counties on April 1. His order that also limits all gatherings to 10 or fewer people is in effect through April 30.In Oklahoma and in other states, residents can go to the grocery store, leave their homes to exercise and go to work at essential businesses, Stitt said.“I hear a lot of the rumblings like, ‘Why aren’t you calling a shelter in place? Why aren’t you calling a shelter in place?’ You’re coming down to semantics, really,” Stitt said.“When you read the shelter in place from some other governors, California for one, New York for another … in practicality, it’s exactly the same orders that we have.”The governor’s comparison comes at a time when public officials and residents across the state are increasingly pressuring Stitt to mandate a shelter in place that applies to all Oklahomans.Differences between ordersOn March 19, California Gov. Gavin Newsom issued a statewide order that directs “all individuals living in the State of California to stay home or at their place of residence.”A Democrat, Newsom was one of the first governors to take such steps. California has 10 times the population of Oklahoma and has seen 10 times more people test positive for COVID-19.New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo has shied away from using the term “shelter in place,” saying the term is reserved for active shooter situations.But on March 22 — the same day the number of New York COVID-19 cases amounted to 5% of cases worldwide — the Democratic governor issued a wide-ranging executive order mandating residents remain in their homes and nonessential businesses close.Cuomo’s executive order also implemented strict rules for residents over age 70 that includes requiring them to remain indoors except for solitary exercise, taking the temperature of any visitors and wearing a mask in the company of others.Muskogee County District Attorney Orvil Loge said he wants to see more action from Stitt. Loge leads the Muskogee City-County COVID-19 Task Force, which sent a letter on April 1 to Stitt requesting he extend his stay-at-home order to cover all state residents.Loge said although Oklahoma cities can implement their own shelter-in-place protocols, counties cannot.“We’re seeking some uniformity across the state, and that can only come from the governor, so, we’re hoping he reconsiders,” he said.Stitt has said imposing a . Oklahomans must take personal responsibility to try and stop the spread of COVID-19, he said.Loge said it’s problematic that Stitt’s safer-at-home order only applies to older residents and those who are medically fragile because there’s a perception among younger people that they won’t be affected by the virus.Information from the Oklahoma State Department of Health shows the average age of Oklahomans who have died from COVID-19 is roughly 72.(Story continued below...)“It doesn’t apply to those ages that can carry and transmit COVID-19, so what we see is the younger population kind of taking a position that if they get COVID-19, that they’re going to recover,” he said.”They may recover, but if they’re out and about, they’re going to transmit it to those that are not as strong as the younger population to fight this virus.”Similarities between ordersStitt’s safer-at-home directive is similar to shelter-in-place orders because it mandates the closure of nonessential businesses and allows residents to leave their homes for essential tasks.Oklahoma City Mayor David Holt said city attorneys determined Stitt’s safer-at-home order is functionally the same as a shelter in place, because with all nonessential businesses closed, residents likely won’t have anywhere to go.Days after Stitt introduced his safer-at-home policy, which initially applied to Oklahoma City, Tulsa and other counties with confirmed cases of COVID-19, Holt and Tulsa Mayor G.T. Bynum ordered their residents to .Holt chalked the decision up to better messaging. Oklahomans aren’t reading the multi-page proclamations mayors and Stitt are putting out, so the messaging is the key to ensuring residents know what is being asked of them, he said.“It’s all well and good for our attorneys to say this is functionally shelter in place because everyone has no choice but to be at home, but unfortunately, the people of Oklahoma City and Tulsa had really gotten used to the language being used in other states and that seemed to be what they wanted to hear,” Holt said.The one legal distinction between Stitt’s order and those from the mayors of Oklahoma’s two largest cities? The shelter-in-place orders apply to city residents of all ages.“That is a material distinction between what we’ve done in Oklahoma City and Tulsa and what has been done at the state level,” Holt said.As Stitt previously said, states with shelter-in-place orders in effect allow essential employees to go to work and allow residents to accomplish necessary tasks, like grocery shopping or picking up prescriptions. The governor's safer-at-home order allows Oklahomans the same privileges.What's classified as an .Oklahomans are seeing what's happening in New York or other states and they want to react, Stitt said.“We’re doing everything we can to keep Oklahomans safe and we’re making the right decisions at the right time,” he said.Oklahoma is one of that does not have a shelter in place in effect. Those eight states all have Republican governors.Editor's note: The name of Muskogee County District Attorney Orvil Loge was incorrect in an earlier version of this story. This story has been updated.Carmen FormanCommenting on NewsOK requires a NewsOK Pro or Oklahoman subscription.or to read and leave comments.

sharesThis content is being provided for free as a public service to our readers during the coronavirus outbreak. If local news is important to you, considerGov. Kevin Stitt said Friday his safer-at-home order is essentially the same as shelter-in-place orders issued by the governors of California and New York.Although the directives share some similarities, Stitt’s policy mandates only those who are over age 65 or have “serious underlying medical conditions” must remain home.Most other governors are asking all residents, not just those who might be more susceptible to COVID-19, to stay...

Stitt says his safer-at-home order is the same as a shelter in place, is it?

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