Members of the Oklahoma City-County Board of Health are deliberating which guidelines the state should consider when deciding when to reopen non-essential businesses. Journal Record editor Russell Ray discusses civil liberties, collective health and what elected officials are saying about reopening.
Full transcript:
Drew Hutchinson: This is the Business Intelligence Report, a weekly conversation about business news in Oklahoma. I’m Drew Hutchinson. Joining me by phone this week is Russell Ray, editor of The Journal Record. Russell, are you and your staff still doing alright working from home?
Russell Ray: We are. We’re still working from home. Everybody’s safe and healthy. We’re staying in close contact with state and local officials to bring our readers the news they need and want.
Hutchinson: Glad to hear it. So recent reports show Oklahoma’s number of hospitalizations due to COVID-19 is beginning to level off, and according to a Journal Record story by reporter Janis Francis-Smith, Gov. Kevin Stitt’s order to suspend all non-essential business operations is set to expire on April 30. Conversations are ongoing within the Oklahoma City-County Health Department’s Board of Health, as board members and officials try to pinpoint what criteria should be considered when lifting restrictions.
Ray: That’s right. State officials, city officials and county health officials all over the state are trying to determine which metric they should be using to determine when stay-at-home orders and restrictions on non-essential businesses should be lifted. Gary Raskob, the chairman of the Oklahoma City-County Board of Health, said last week officials should be focused on striking the right balance between individual freedoms, public safety concerns and economic concerns. The goal, he said, is to lift restrictions responsibly with the right information and to not promote further spread of the virus. That’s the balance they’re trying to strike. And that will be quite a challenge moving forward.
Hutchinson: Right. Raskob’s first comment highlights the tension between the individual liberties so many Americans hold dear, and concerns about the collective health of the country. And right now, the department’s executive director says the department is not recommending reopening businesses. Hospitalizations may be down, but the number of COVID cases continues to increase, and he says now probably isn’t the time to return to normal.
Ray: Yes. The number of hospitalizations have dropped for now. Right now, it’s expected that around 800 hospital beds will be needed at the peak of this crisis in the state. That is substantially down from an estimated 5,000 hospital beds. But officials fear lifting some restrictions could send the wrong signal.
Hutchinson: Right. Restrictions on nonessential businesses may be more safely relaxed if health officials can conclude that the number of new cases is going down. But making that determination is difficult without widespread testing and case tracking. Still, some members of the Oklahoma City-County Health Department’s Board of Health are anxious to alleviate the economic hardship that has accompanied the closure of many of the state’s businesses.
Ray: That’s right. Board member Stephen Cagle said he agrees with decisions to close non-essential businesses temporarily. But his concern is that many businesses will not be able to come back if the restrictions stay in place too long. In his words, the country and economy could be destroyed without a firm plan to open these businesses back up… Oklahoma city Mayor David Holt recently told us the city’s plan to reopen businesses will be based on the best science that’s available and will prioritize life. Despite calls to go back to normal, he said now is not the time.
Hutchinson: Andanother board member, Erica Lukas, offered a different perspective than her colleague in that same vein. She said the fastest way to destroy our country is if people are not safe.
Ray: Well that’s right. Any action that would strengthen the infection rate of the virus would certainly not be good for the state or the nation and could make things worse, which is why officials are scrambling to pinpoint the most important metrics in determining when it’s safe to begin lifting restrictions on businesses and residents. The opinions on this are wide ranging and state and local officials have some very difficult decisions to make in the days and weeks ahead.
Hutchinson: Russell, as always, I want to thank you for your time today.
Ray: Thank you, Drew.
Hutchinson: Russell Ray is editor of The Journal Record. KGOU and The Journal Record collaborate each week on the Business Intelligence Report. You can follow us both on social media. We're on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter: @journalrecord and @KGOUnews. The story we discussed today is available on JournalRecord.com. And this conversation, along with previous episodes of the Business Intelligence Report, are available on our website, KGOU.org. While you’re there, you can check out other features and podcasts produced by KGOU and our StateImpact reporters. For KGOU and the Business Intelligence Report, I'm Drew Hutchinson.
The Business Intelligence Report is a collaborative news project between KGOU and The Journal Record.
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