Governor Tests Positive for Coronavirus

Governor Kevin Stitt has tested positive for COVID-19, he confirmed in a joint press conference with Interim Commissioner of Health Lance Frye on Wednesday.

The news comes after new cases reached a record high of 993 on Tuesday.

“I feel fine,” Stitt said. “I was pretty shocked that I was the first governor to get it.”

He said that he is not considering a mask mandate, and that hospital bed and personal protective equipment capacity is adequate in the state.

Stitt was first seen wearing a mask at a press conference on June 30, when he “strongly urged” Oklahomans to wear a mask when social distancing is not possible.

“Research shows that wearing a mask when you can’t social distance significantly lowers the transmission rate of COVID-19,” Stitt said at the June 30 press conference. “It may take some getting used to, but it is a small price to pay to be able to keep our businesses open, our economy running and to be able to watch OU and OSU stick it to the shorthorns [University of Texas] on the football field in the fall.”

Stitt said that he is isolating from his family and working from home.