LAWTON – Although the mask mandate for Lawton businesses has been repealed, facial covering still is required in City Hall and inside other municipal buildings, at the Comanche County Courthouse, on the Fort Sill Army post, and in many areas at the State Capitol.
After the Lawton City Council scrapped the mask requirement for commercial establishments and other indoor facilities on March 23, Central District Commissioner Johnny Owens met with all elected Comanche County officials and department heads to discuss the county’s policy.
“The consensus was that we will stay with the masks, the temperature checks and social distancing,” practices that have been in effect since last year because of the COVID-19 pandemic, Owens said.
“We don’t know whether that’s going to be for two more weeks or a month or even longer,” Owens said March 27. “We’re going to continue doing it this way until we feel like it’s safe for the taxpayers, for county employees, for everybody concerned.”
The City of Altus repealed its mask mandate last month.
Gov. Kevin Stitt announced on March 11 that he was lifting any restrictions “on events or Oklahomans” and repealing a requirement to wear a mask while in state buildings.
That does not include many areas of the State Capitol, however.
Stitt’s edict does extend to Executive Branch offices in the Capitol, such as those of the Governor, the Lieutenant Governor, the State Treasurer and the State Auditor.
The Legislature, though, controls most of the Capitol building, including all of floors 3, 4, 5 and 6, the second-floor area where the state Supreme Court and the Court of Criminal Appeals officed plus the Supreme Court chamber, and some of the first floor, as well.
John Estus, spokesman for state House Speaker Charles McCall, told the Ledger on March 22 that the Oklahoma House of Representatives “has not yet made any changes to the existing protocols announced before session, which included a policy to wear a mask where social distancing isn’t possible.” However, he continued, “There may be changes to the protocols soon now that we are into session.”
Oklahoma City’s mask mandate remains in effect until the end of April, while Tulsa’s mask requirement is scheduled to be revisited next week. Both cities adopted mask mandates last July.