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House Minority Leader Emily Virgin, a Democrat from Norman, released a statement after Arkansas and more than half of the states in the United States issued a statewide mask policy.

In Virgin’s statement, she said: “Governor Stitt continues to declare his support for Oklahoma’s economy, while he does nothing to protect it or our citizens. His rhetoric says he wants to avoid another shutdown, but his policy continues to move us closer and closer in that direction.”

Virgin went on to say that more than half of the states in the union have implemented a mask policy, and Oklahoma’s governor, who has contracted COVID-19, has said he is ‘not thinking about a mask mandate at all.’ She said it is absurd for this to continue.

“The best shot we have at slowing this pandemic and keeping our economy open is implementing a statewide mask policy. Every day that we go without one is a day closer to Oklahoma businesses having to close their doors. It is time to stop talking about leadership and actually show some,” Virgin said.