Tulsa County Leaders Concerned About Small COVID-19 Outbreaks

Tulsa County reported 184 new cases on Thursday, which is down slightly from the previous week, but local leaders said they're still worried about small outbreaks.

Dr. Bruce Dart with the Tulsa County Health Department said they're seeing outbreaks at both schools and nursing homes. They've traced 196 cases to schools county-wide since the start of the school year.

This is one reason Dr. Dart is recommending that the City of Tulsa expand their mask ordinance to include children 10 and up. He said kids above that age can still shed the virus, the same as adults.

Mayor G.T. Bynum said he supports expanding the mandate and will meet with the chairman of the city council tomorrow about how to move forward.

He also expressed some concern Thursday about neighboring communities in Tulsa County that do not have mask mandates in place.

"Our hospitals don't just serve the city of Tulsa, they serve this whole part of the state,” said Bynum. “The fact that we're the only city in Tulsa County that has a mask ordinance in place, I think is a cause of great concern as we move into this period of elevated risk."

Nearly 14,000 people in Tulsa County have recovered from COVID-19.