City of Tulsa COVID-19 Situation Update

(TULSA, Okla.) The City of Tulsa has launched a new CARES Act website, www.cityoftulsa.org/CARES, to help residents keep track of CARES projects and how the funding is being used. A new overnight shelter funded by the City of Tulsa’s CARES Act will open for individuals experiencing homelessness at the former Tulsa County juvenile detention center to help participants transition into long-term, safe and stable housing. The facility will be able to serve 55 individuals at a time. Since September 8, the facility has provided day shelter services to an average of 50-75 people a day. In addition to meals provided by Iron Gate, the shelter provides case management, housing services, integrated medical care and pet wellness clinics. Many of the participants have signed up for A Better Way, a City program that gives an honest day’s pay for an honest day’s work to those who use panhandling as a means for money. Participants at the shelter will also be connected to other employment services. Through a partnership with 12&12, the shelter will also begin offering substance abuse assessments and weekly treatment. Through this homelessness response program, thanks to CARES funding and collaboration with local organizations, the City continues to ensure the safety of vulnerable populations amid the pandemic, as other local shelters have had to reduce their capacity to allow for social distancing. For more information on this program and others funded through the CARES Act, visit www.ciytoftulsa.org/CARES. Tulsa Health Department Update As long as the virus continues to spread in the community, residents are at risk of contracting the virus. Older adults and people with underlying medical conditions are at increased risk for severe illness that may result in hospitalization, intensive care, a ventilator or even death. The best way to protect yourself, protect the most vulnerable, and help reduce the spread of COVID-19 is to follow the “three W’s”: 1. Wear a mask when you are around anyone who does not reside in your home. 2. Wash your hands frequently, or use hand sanitizer when soap and water are not readily accessible. 3. Watch your distance and stay 6 feet away from others. Testing The Tulsa Health Department offers specimen collection for COVID-19 testing in North and south Tulsa to provide convenient access for community residents. There is no cost for testing, and it’s easy to quickly make an appointment. Results are received within three business days. Call the Tulsa Health Department at (918) 582-9355 to make an appointment or to speak to a public health professional about COVID-19. A list of other testing sites in the community is available here. Data Overview In Tulsa County, the 60- and 30- day trends are showing sustained declines overall. However, cases among children between age 5-17 continue to increase, particularly among older youth in the 14-17 age group. It is critical for parents to follow public health guidelines for isolation and quarantine, to slow the spread and prevent outbreaks. Per the guidance, an individual who is quarantined due to an exposure to a confirmed case who has a negative test result between 5-7 days does not change the 14-day quarantine timeline. The City of Tulsa represents 58 percent of all cases within Tulsa County. The Tulsa Health Department has launched a zip code risk map available at www.tulsa-health.org/COVID just below the case data dashboard. The dashboard is updated daily, and the zip code risk map will be updated on a weekly basis. The map allows residents to easily understand the threat level of COVID-19 for a particular zip code, based on the rate of daily active cases per 1,000 residents. Seasonal Flu Vaccines Every Tulsa County resident ages six months and older is encouraged to receive a seasonal flu vaccine. The Tulsa Health Department will begin offering flu vaccines by appointment only on October 1st. Tulsa County Update Every municipality in Tulsa County has been impacted by CARES dollars and have all benefited from a number of Tulsa County CARES programs, including direct reimbursement for COVID-19 related expenses, TEDC RESET funds, rental assistance and other countywide agency support through entities like THD, Tulsa Area Emergency Management Agency, the Tulsa County Election Board and so many others. The total funding, including direct and indirect programs to date by city are: Bixby - $1,674,110.90 (3.41 percent of total) Broken Arrow - $4,662,982.60 (9.49 percent of total) Collinsville - $664,463.86 (1.35 percent of total) Glenpool - $860,733.15 (1.75 percent of total) Jenks - $1,385,732.89 (2.82 percent of total) Owasso - $2,174,605.30 (4.42 percent of total) Sand Springs - $1,160,663.57 (2.36 percent of total) Skiatook - $110,158.02 (.22 percent of total) Sperry - $41,399.52 (.08 percent of total) Tulsa - $36,400,424.46 (74.08 percent of total) These financial allocations and an interactive map are updated weekly on the Tulsa County CARES website at www.tulsacountycares.org. The map also shows the breakdown of each municipality’s direct and indirect CARES expenditures, adjusted for population. The TEDC RESET program will pause accepting applications this Thursday, Oct. 1, to evaluate the number of requests versus the actual RESET fund balance. TEDC tells the County they are about 93 percent complete with the current applications they have under review, while still getting three-to-four new ones each day. Through this program, the County has been approving approximately $2-3 million every week in funding to small businesses and nonprofits throughout Tulsa County. Additionally, the Tulsa Housing Authority (THA) rental assistance program, which received up to $14 million in CARES Act funds from the County, will no longer accept applications after this Wednesday, Sept. 30. It’s asked residents get their applications before the deadlines for both TEDC RESET and THA rental assistance. Tulsa County Election Board Voting Updates Today, the Tulsa County Election Board mailed out more than 47,000 absentee ballots to Tulsa County residents. The election board expects to mail out more than 100,000 before the election. The deadline to request an absentee ballot for the November election is Oct. 27, 2020. To request an absentee ballot, visit www.elections.ok.gov. Additionally, the deadline to register to vote for the Nov 3, 2020, election is Oct. 9, 2020. Early Voting at ONEOK Field Tulsa Drillers’ OENOK Field will be the site of Tulsa County’s only early voting location in an effort to provide an open air facility that can accommodate larger crowds while practicing social distancing. Early voting days and times include: Thursday, Oct. 29, 2020, from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday, Oct. 30, 2020, from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 31, 2020, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. More than 1,200 parking spaces will be available, which come at no charge to voters. Handicapped parking and special areas for voters with disabilities will be made available. No-cost parking will be made available at OSU-Tulsa, Vast Bank and City of Tulsa parking street parking spaces. Tulsa Transit will also be providing transportation at no cost to voters who have an “I Voted” sticker present on their person during each of the three early voting days.