Stitt says Oklahoma in good shape to ease coronavirus restrictions, talks unemployment

TULSA, Okla. (KTUL) – Gov. Kevin Stitt said the coronavirus data in Oklahoma "continues to show we can safely proceed with Phase I of our plan to safely and measurably reopen on May 1."

He announced a detailed plan last week to ease restrictions and allow businesses to reopen over several phases that conclude in June.

The governor said his two priorities during the pandemic have been to save lives and to soften the economic damage to the state.

There are fewer than 300 Oklahomans currently hospitalized because of COVID-19, and the state has capacity for 4,600 hospital beds to treat coronavirus patients.

Stitt said the sacrifices made by Oklahomans – closing businesses and missing out on important life events like weddings and proms – have “flattened the curve.”

Oklahoma continues to meet the White House criteria for easing restrictions, Stitt said.

See Oklahoma’s full reopening plan here.

The governor warned that the virus hasn’t magically gone away simply because the state’s infections are trending in the right direction and hospital capacity is good.

“We still have coronavirus in the United States, it’s still in the state of Oklahoma, we’re still going to have people get this, we’re still going to have positive cases, but our rate of positive cases continues to decline,” Stitt said.

Stitt said they increased testing by 36% from the week before, but new positive cases still declined.

To date, there have been 3,410 confirmed positive cases of COVID-19 in Oklahoma with 207 coronavirus-related deaths.

“We’re not out of the woods yet,” the governor warned.

People needing a coronavirus test should call 211 to arrange a visit to one of the state’s 80-plus testing sites.

The governor also addressed those seeking unemployment benefits.

Stitt said 294,000 Oklahomans have filed for unemployment help. The state processed 116,000 unemployment claims last week alone “on a system that was designed for about 2,500 in any given week,” Stitt said.

The state has paid out more than $307 million to help unemployed people since the pandemic began.

Stitt said they’ve also hires 200 more workers for the unemployment help desk.

He said he understands the anxieties of Oklahomans who have lost their jobs during this pandemic.

“We’re working to get the claims paid as quickly as possible,” the governor said.