Oklahoma Republican Gov. Kevin Stitt said on Wednesday that he has tested positive for the coronavirus but feels “fine” and will be isolating.
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Oklahoma Republican Gov. Kevin Stitt said on Wednesday that he has tested positive for the coronavirus but feels “fine” and will be isolating.
Stitt is the first governor to announce a coronavirus infection, though other governors have self-quarantined or have gotten tested after potential exposure. Stitt, who has resisted recommendations from public health officials throughout the pandemic, said he does not know where he got infected but does not believe his positive result could have stemmed from his attendance at President Donald Trump’s campaign rally in Tulsa on June 21, where the governor was photographed without a mask.
“I feel fine. I felt a little bit achy yesterday. I didn’t have a fever,” Stitt said Wednesday at a news conference, adding that he periodically gets tested. “I just want to be transparent with Oklahomans.”
As Oklahoma reported more than 1,000 new coronavirus cases — a single-day record as average new deaths also increase — Stitt urged residents to get tested if they aren’t feeling well but said he still did not favor a shelter-in-place order or the mask mandates increasingly embraced even by Republican leaders who initially were leery.
