Oklahoma City Mayor David Holt issues “shelter in place” order

6 years ago

OKLAHOMA CITY (KFOR) – Oklahoma City Mayor David Holt issued a “shelter in place” order to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

The order goes into effect at 11:59 p.m. on March 28 and goes through April 16.

“I come armed only with facts. People are getting sick, and people are dying. I don’t want you to be one of them. And I don’t want you to be a carrier that spreads the virus to others,” Holt said in a video posted on his Facebook page.

Holt says his legal team has been looking at Gov. Kevin Stitt’s “safer at home” order and determined that they’re functionally the same. Holt says “shelter in place” takes away some of the confusion and provides local enforcement for those measures.

“Shelter in place means, just as we have been saying since the governor’s orders on Tuesday, you should stay home,” Holt said.

You can still go to work if your job is deemed essential. You still go to get groceries, gas, medicine, and other goods you need.

You can still go to restaurants for takeout or drive thru service, and you can still go outside to exercise.

“When you leave for any reason, practice social distancing. You don’t need any special papers or ID’s to leave your home,” Holt said.

Holt says it’s especially important to shelter in place because the number of COVID-19 cases has more than doubled this week.

“You have to be my partner as we shelter in place. If you’re waiting for an armed soldier to stand in your front yard, that’s not going to happen,” he said.

He says it’s up to everyone to work together as a city.

“We don’t yet know how long this new normal will last. To some extent, that depends on the virus. To some extent, it depends on you,” Holt said.

According to the city, if you don’t follow the order, police may investigate and ask you comply or give you a citation.

“Remember, an empty city reflects people who love each other so much they are staying home to save one another,” Holt said.

For more details on the order, click here.