Green Country City Leaders Speak Up About COVID-19, Mask Mandates

As COVID-19 cases across Oklahoma continue to rise and more cities consider mask mandates, News On 6 reached out to some Green Country cities to hear their stance on COVID-19 precautions.

City of Tulsa, Mayor Bynum:

A spokesperson said that Tulsa Mayor G.T. Bynum and Dr. Dart met with a group of surrounding community leaders last week and he provided this statement following the meeting:

“I appreciate my colleagues from Bixby, Broken Arrow, Claremore, Collinsville, Glenpool, Jenks, Muskogee, Owasso and Sand Springs for joining Dr. Dart and me for a discussion with our hospital systems.

“We all agreed an important first step is for individual communities in our region to have access to data on COVID hospitalizations among their residents. The Tulsa Health Department has agreed to begin providing that data starting next week.

“Additionally, I am providing contacts that we found useful in evaluating our options in Tulsa. Each city must determine for itself how it can best help reduce the surge of COVID-19 patients hitting our hospitals. I am grateful we could advance that process today.”

Bixby issued this statement two weeks ago:  

“The City of Bixby has been attentive to and active in evaluating its pandemic response since the onset of COVID-19. Before modifying current guidelines that follow State protocols, the Council must be provided with actionable, community-specific data other than what has been gleaned from the Oklahoma State Department of Health website. The basic, on-going information needs include statistics such as the number of Bixby residents that have been hospitalized and any local hotspots that have been identified by the Tulsa County Health Department.”

A Broken Arrow spokesperson gave this statement on Thursday:

“The Broken Arrow City Council has continued discussing COVID-19 infection rates for Broken Arrow at each City Council meeting. City Council meetings are held on the first and third Tuesday of each month and broadcast live on our website. At this time, there are no plans for any special meetings regarding this topic prior to the 17th, which is the next regularly scheduled meeting. The agendas are typically posted the Friday prior to each meeting.”

Collinsville offered this statement on Thursday:

"City of Collinsville assesses the COVID-19 numbers daily and we are prepared to act when it is necessary. Collinsville continues to experience low numbers of positive cases. Most of our commercial and business establishments have implemented policies requiring masks, which are being adhered to by customers and employees with only occasional exceptions. Given the high rate of compliance with individual mask policies across our community, and in consideration that Collinsville’s COVID-19 numbers haven’t increased dramatically from the beginning of the pandemic, there are no plans for a mandatory mask ordinance at this time. Should conditions change, we will reevaluate our position at that time.

There are presently 42 addresses with positive cases in the City’s ambulance district. This district extends farther than out than city limits. The boundaries are 126th Street to the south, Hwy 75 to the west is the border in Tulsa County, one mile west of Hwy 75 in Washington County, the Caney River is the east border, and 161st Street south of the Caney River."

Coweta has not yet responded to News On 6’s request for comment.

Glenpool City Manager David Tillotson gave this statement:

"We are still awaiting the local hospitalization data as promised in last week’s regional meeting. We will evaluate that data once we have it, and we may consider other actions at that time.”

Owasso issued this statement two weeks ago. They have not yet responded to our most recent request for comment:

“The City of Owasso assesses the COVID-19 numbers daily and we are prepared to take action if and when it is necessary. Owasso continues to experience some of the lowest percentages of positive cases and related deaths per capita. Most of our commercial and business establishments have implemented policies requiring masks, which are being adhered to by customers and employees with only occasional exceptions. Given the high rate of compliance with individual mask policies across our community, and in consideration that Owasso’s COVID-19 numbers continue to trend lower than other communities in the region, there are no plans to pass a mask ordinance at this time. Should conditions change, we will reevaluate our position at that time.”

Sand Springs gave News On 6 this statement Thursday:

“The City of Sand Springs continues to evaluate the COVID-19 situation in our community. We have a daily report from our public safety officials and the topic has been on each of our City Council Agendas as it will be again this month. We do not anticipate any action in regard to a mask mandate ordinance at this meeting, but we have become increasingly concerned about the rapid spread of cases and will discuss what measures could be taken to combat this issue. We do know that if all citizens will work together by washing their hands, keeping work areas sanitized, maintaining social distancing, and wearing a mask when social distancing is not possible; we can mitigate the effects of this pandemic until a vaccine is available.”

Tulsa Health Department issued this statement two weeks ago:  

“The Tulsa Health Department encourages everyone to follow the CDC recommendations regarding face coverings, as they remain critical to reduce transmission of COVID-19.

As CDC Director Dr. Robert R. Redfield said earlier this year, "Cloth face coverings are one of the most powerful weapons we have to slow and stop the spread of the virus - particularly when used universally within a community setting.

Additionally, I wanted to draw your attention to page 13 of the most recent Oklahoma State Department of Health weekly epidemiological report, which provides data for the state of Oklahoma on the impact of mask mandates.”

News On 6 will update this story as soon as new information is available.