DU)--Enid Mayor George Pankonin signed an updated emergency declaration today. Amendments to the declaration are underlined in the document with a synopsis below:
- Section X, Subsection A: Adds quarantine requirements for all persons who have entered Oklahoma by air from an area with substantial community spread.
- Section X, Subsection B: Adds exemptions to quarantine requirements for workers coming into the State to perform work in an essential business and those that travel into the State to assist with Emergency Management.
- Section XI: Stay at Home Order modified requiring only the individual necessary to perform the essential activity to leave the home and enter an essential business.
- Section XIV, Subsection B: CDC recommendations on the use of simple cloth face coverings in public settings where other social distancing measures are difficult to maintain (e.g. Grocery Stores or Pharmacies).
- Section XIV, Subsection D, Letter i: Adds measures for faith-based services on the church parking lot where parishioners remain in vehicles and social distancing is maintained.
The declaration will go into effect on Wednesday, April 8 at 11:59 p.m. The declarations and regulations shall expire at 11:59 p.m. on April 30, 2020, unless and until it is extended, rescinded, superseded, or amended in writing. The full emergency declaration can be found on the city website at: www.Enid.org/coronavirus. To stay updated with City information regarding COVID-19, residents should access the city website regularly at: www.Enid.org/coronavirus or on social media at: Facebook.com/cityofenidoklahoma.
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LN)--The total number of coronavirus cases in the state has risen to 1,427 and the number of virus-related deaths is up to 67, the Oklahoma State Department of Health reported late this morning. The confirmed number of cases in Garfield County remained at 5 in today’s report.
|
COVID-19 Oklahoma Test Results |
|
|
Positive (In-State) |
1,472 |
|
Positive (Out-of-State) |
2 |
|
Negative* |
1,436 |
|
Total Cumulative Hospitalizations |
376 |
|
Deaths |
67 |
*Negative testing results are only from the State Public Health Laboratory and do not include private laboratory negative results.
The Oklahoma State Department of Health (OSDH) announced today newly reported data shows 13,148 COVID-19 tests have been administered in Oklahoma to date. Private labs have finally reported that more than 11,000 negative COVID-19 tests were processed by private labs dating back to early February.
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CC)--The Enid Mayor and Board of Commissioners will hold a virtual meeting this evening. The meeting will begin at 6:30 and will be held via zoom.us. On the agenda, several easements related to the Kaw Lake water pipeline project; a resolution authorizing Enid Municipal Authority to purchase a letter of credit through Security National Bank for the purpose of landfill financial assurance. Assurance is required by Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality; and a resolution condemning an unoccupied duplex in the 300 block of N. Harding in order to remove the structure and make emergency repairs to the stormwater drainage system. The city has made an offer to the owners, according to the agenda, but the owners have rejected the offers. The resolution would allow the city to use its power of eminent domain to acquire the property.
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FD)--RSVP doubled the size of its monthly food box distribution for seniors in need Monday, in hopes of limiting seniors’ public exposure and ensuring they have adequate food supply during the coronavirus pandemic. RSVP of Enid Executive Director Christy Baker said the program, which came to Enid six years ago through a U.S. Department of Agriculture effort managed by Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma, gives out 288 boxes of canned goods and food staples each month, the largest such distribution in the state. Board members, longtime RSVP volunteers and a few new hands turned out Monday to pull off the distribution, with almost 600 commodity boxes to be handed out in a drive-through process. The first Monday of each month, people who are at least 60 years old, whose household income is less than 130% of the poverty level, can receive a 40-pound box of food, provided by Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma. In addition to the drive-through distribution on Monday, Baker said volunteers also will be making mass distributions of the food boxes to area senior independent living apartment complexes. For anyone wanting to help keep Mobile Meals going during the pandemic, Baker said monetary donations are needed. To volunteer or request assistance, call RSVP of Enid at (580) 233-5914. To donate to RSVP, to help cover the increased cost of the program’s increasing services during the coronavirus pandemic, visit the “Donate” tab at https://www.rsvpenid.org.
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KM)--City leaders in Kingfisher are doing their part to help protect the community from the coronavirus. Officials with the City of Kingfisher say they have ordered 2,000 masks made by NeoInsulation for members of the community. According to the city’s Facebook post, they are anticipating staggered shipments that should be available for distribution beginning on April 8. Masks will be given out daily at the drive-thru of City Hall, Interbank, BancFirst, F&M Bank, and NBC Bank. Visit the city’s Facebook page for more details. Initially, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said that only people who were showing symptoms of the novel coronavirus should wear a mask. As new data about asymptomatic carriers grew, the CDC decided to change its recommendation. Masks should be worn in “public settings where other social distancing measures are difficult to maintain (e.g., grocery stores and pharmacies) especially in areas of significant community-based transmission,” according to a CDC news release. Cloth face coverings can be ordered or “made at home from common materials at low cost.”
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CF)--The statewide candidate filing period begins at 8:00 a.m. Wednesday, said Michael Frisbie, Secretary of the Garfield County Election Board. Filing will be from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. The deadline for filing as a candidate is 5:00 p.m. Friday, no exceptions. Candidates for state offices file with the Secretary of the State Election Board in Oklahoma City. Candidates for county offices file with the Secretary of the County Election Board. Frisbie said that the following county offices will be filled this year: County Commissioner District 2, County Court Clerk, County Clerk, and County Sheriff. ALL SOCIAL DISTANCING PRECAUTIONS WILL BE OBSERVED. For more election-related information, call the County Election Board at 580 237-6016, or visit www.elections.ok.gov.
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DL)--Enid Public Schools distance learning classes are underway. EPS has established a Distance Learning Hub for parents/guardians and students. The site's homepage, https://www.enidpublicschools.org/266650_2, features a letter from Superintendent Darrell Floyd and links to overviews, lesson plans, contact information and frequently asked questions. The superintendent said finishing the school year will take cooperation between EPS, parents/guardians and staff. The site includes learning plans for elementary schools, each Middle school and Enid High School.
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VS)--Oklahoma Blood Institute is looking for plasma donors who have recovered from COVID-19 in hopes of treating patients who have contracted the virus. The experimental effort will be used to "treat seriously ill patients," according to OBI officials. "By creating the only statewide registry of available patients, Oklahoma Blood Institute can ensure local patients receive the donated products and have the best possible chance at fighting the illness," according to a press release. Donors are asked to sign up for Oklahoma’s registry at https://mobile.bio-linked.org. Bio-Linked allows users to submit confidential health and social information via a secure site and to list themselves as potential volunteers for medical research. Once qualified, plasma will be drawn at hospital partner sites, with each donor providing up to three therapeutic plasma doses. To provide convalescent plasma, donors must be eligible to donate blood and meet the criteria below:
• Prior diagnosis of COVID-19, documented by a laboratory test;
• Present negative results for COVID-19;
• Symptom-free for 14 days prior to donation.
• If female, either no history of pregnancy or negative for HLA (tissue typing) antibodies.
Complete information on donor eligibility from the FDA is available at https://tinyurl.com/FDA-OBI-COVID19.
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MN)--St. Mary’s Regional Medical Center and INTEGRIS Bass Baptist Health Center are still in need of face masks. Home-made face masks can be worn by patients and most staff. If you can help out or have masks to donate, contact the Greater Enid Chamber of Commerce at 580-237-2494.
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FM)--Forgotten Ministries, in the 1700 block of S. 4th, is offering evening meals for anyone in need. The ministry has set up three ways for people to receive food at the facility. Meals for the homeless population are provided under a tent in the parking lot, on chairs spaced to maintain recommended social distancing. Forgotten Ministries staff will pick up anyone in need from Our Daily Bread at 4:30 p.m. each day and return them there after the meal. People who use this service will have the opportunity to shower, receive a change of clothes and leave their clothes to be laundered and picked up the next day. For all others in need, the Forgotten Ministries food truck will be serving meals beginning at 5:30 p.m. The food truck will be parked in the south part of the Moore and 4th intersection for drive-through service, with meals in to-go containers. New View Apartments residents can walk to the food truck and form a line to be served to-go containers. Forgotten Ministries is looking for churches and organizations willing to help serve or cover the cost of meals during the coronavirus pandemic. Anyone interested in helping can message the Forgotten Ministries Facebook page or email peggy@forgottenministries.com. To help financially, mail a check made payable to Forgotten Ministries to 1714 S. 4th St., Enid, OK 73701.
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MH)--Youth & Family Services of North Central Oklahoma is offering a free mental health helpline to help people through the effects of the coronavirus pandemic and the social isolation that comes with it. "During the COVID-19 crisis, many people may find themselves on edge," said Tree Perkins, Youth and Family's director of development. "Routines have changed, children are home from school, families are cooped up, and many have or will experience job loss. With all of these worries looming, we know that this can be scary and overwhelming time." With help from a grant from United Way of Enid and Northwest Oklahoma, Youth & Family Services is offering the free helpline for "those who may be experiencing anxiety, sadness, fear, or perhaps just a need to hear a friendly voice," Perkins said. Anyone in need can call the helpline at (866) 324-2085. The helpline will be open 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. seven days a week. If the helpline goes to voicemail, callers should leave a message with their name and phone number, and Youth & Family will call them back as soon as possible.
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