Social Distancing Still Necessary, Tulsa Health Professionals Say

TULSA, Okla. - The Tulsa Health Department is asking people to still take social distancing seriously, as we head into a holiday weekend.             

Dr. Bruce Dart with the Tulsa health department said they saw a one-day spike in COVID-19 cases today, with 14 residents and 8 staff members at a long-term care facility testing positive for the virus.

Dart said that's not surprising because they are ramping up testing at every long-term care facility in the county and have completed more than 2,300 tests so far.

The city said there is more than enough hospital space available, and we continue to meet guidelines in reopening.

We are still in phase 2 of the reopening process and the city said all of their employees who have been working from home will return to the office on June 1st.

Mayor G.T. Bynum also provided an update today on their Resilience and Recovery Fund.

So far, they have approved 41 different Tulsa businesses for zero interest loans.

"We still have a long way to go for our local economy to heal,” said Bynum. “I know at our household; we are continuing to stay focused on making sure that every dime that we spend is going local and I encourage my fellow Tulsans to be mindful of trying to do the same."

Bynum said the city will continue to follow the state's guidelines to reopen, and we expect to hear more about phase 3 of the reopening process sometime next week.