Stitt, a Republican, said at a press conference that he was screened Tuesday and that he feels “good”, apart from being “a little sore.” He said he will be quarantined and working from home, and that he was “quite surprised” to be the first governor to contract the virus. He added that he would isolate himself from his family, whom he said was negative.
“I want to use my story to remind Oklahomans that if you’re not feeling well, we want you to be tested,” said Stitt, adding that he is not considering a statewide mask mandate as of now.
“I don’t think there has been any way at the president’s rally. Too long ago,” Stitt said.
According to the contact trace, the Oklahoma State Department of Health said Stitt did not hire Covid-19 at the rally.
Dr. Lance Frye, commissioner of the Oklahoma State Department of Health, said they don’t know exactly when Stitt was infected, but that it would have been in the past few weeks.
When asked if he would impose a state mandate for residents in light of the diagnosis, Stitt said, “He is not thinking of a mask mandate at all.”
“I know some companies are mandatory masks and that’s great. But you can’t choose what freedoms you will give people. So if companies want to do it, if some local municipalities want to do it, that’s OK. But again, we also respect the people’s rights to stay home if they want to, run their businesses or not wear a mask, “said Stitt.
The governor said he “hesitates to order something that I think is problematic to enforce,” although he asked Oklahomans to take the virus seriously and adjust their behaviors to slow the spread.
Stitt also reiterated that he does not plan to reverse any of the state’s reopening plans at this time.
Reported cases of coronavirus have continued to rise in Oklahoma, with 21,739 cases reported through Wednesday, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.
Following the news of Stitt’s positive diagnosis, the state health department announced a record 1,075 new positive Covid cases in a single day. The last record was on Tuesday, when 993 new cases were reported. There are currently 561 people hospitalized in the state due to the virus.
This story has been updated to include additional comments and background information.
CNN’s Kristen Holmes contributed to this report.
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