OKLAHOMA CITY — Mask mandates intended to slow the spread of the coronavirus are ending in Oklahoma’s two largest cities, Oklahoma City and Tulsa. The requirement ended Friday in Oklahoma City and comes to an end Saturday in Tulsa, although the mandate continues at places such as city offices in both cities. Mayors David Holt in Oklahoma City and G.T. Bynum in Tulsa both credited virus vaccinations for lowering the number of virus cases and hospitalizations.
Bynum said residents should also continue wearing masks when in groups of non-family members. In both cities, private businesses can continue requiring masks if desired.
WASHINGTON — The U.S. will restrict travel from India starting on May 4, the White House said Friday, citing a devastating rise in COVID-19 cases in the country and the emergence of potentially dangerous variants of the coronavirus.
White House press secretary Jen Psaki said President Joe Biden’s administration made the determination on the advice of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
“The policy will be implemented in light of extraordinarily high COVID-19 caseloads and multiple variants circulating in the India,” she said.
With 386,452 new cases, India now has reported more than 18.7 million since the pandemic began, second only to the United States. The Health Ministry on Friday also reported 3,498 deaths in the last 24 hours, bringing the total to 208,330. Experts believe both figures are an undercount, but it’s unclear by how much.