Sand Springs City Council enacts COVID-19 Emergency Response

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The Sand Springs City Council took action during a special meeting Monday evening to combat the recent dramatic rise in COVID-19 pandemic statistics in the Sand Springs community. During the meeting, City of Sand Springs Ordinance No. 1359 was approved unanimously by council members. The new ordinance outlines specific educational information, statistics, definitions and requirements for persons to wear face masks within the boundaries of the City of Sand Springs. An Emergency Clause was also approved by Council, putting the new ordinance into effect this Friday.

The ordinance requires that persons located within the City of Sand Springs are required to wear a face covering at all times while present in spaces being used for business, entertainment, education, athletic and recreational uses. Some spaces identified in the ordinance include:

Business

Retail businesses; spas; entertainment venues; food service facilities including restaurant and bars; hotels; motels; professional offices; banks and financial services; repair facilities and/ or motor vehicle dealerships.

Public Setting

Workplaces; child care facilities; hospitals and health facilities; gymnasium and physical fitness facilities; sports facilities; parks; trails, sidewalks and outdoor retail areas.

Educational Setting

Any building or facility used for academic or athletic purposes including campuses; any private school or preschool.

The ordinance relies on some guidelines from the US Center for Disease Control which allows exemptions to facial coverings for:

  • persons with medical, mental health or developmental disability reasons

  • children age 9 years or younger 

  • restaurant patrons while eating or drinking 

  • occupants in a personal vehicle 

  • persons exercising, who can maintain a 6’ (six foot) social distance

An additional exemption was added to the ordinance last night by council members for individuals engaged in a team sports activity where the level of exertion makes it difficult to wear a face covering.

Religious facilities and places of worship are provided the opportunity to be governed by their own policies regarding facial coverings. The Sand Springs Local Church Network and the City of Sand Springs have worked together since before the pandemic outbreak, sharing community health updates, statistics and other important information related to COVID-19 to lessen the spread of the virus.

Enforcement of the ordinance shall be made upon complaint from any property owner or from a law enforcement officer. Sand Springs Police advises that their intent is to meet any initial response to a call out with educational information for all persons involved in a situation, but will take each instance on a case-by-case basis.

According to a study in an October “Oklahoma Weekly Epidemiology Report”, COVID-19 cases in areas without a facial covering requirement grew by 88%, whereas areas adopting a facial covering requirement saw a much slower spread of only 21%.

This ordinance will remain in place until further notice and shall expire along with other COVID-19 emergency proclamations or declarations.

As of Tuesday, there are 267 active cases in Sand Springs, down from 291 on Monday, marking the first decline in the past two weeks. Active caseload was as low as 77 on November 1st. 11 Sand Springs residents have died from the virus.