Choctaw Nation reinstates mask mandate at health facilities

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — The Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma is reinstating a mask requirement for visitors at tribal health facilities. Choctaw Nation Health Services Authority announced on Facebook on Friday that because of rising coronavirus cases in the state, all visitors must wear a mask and placed limits on the number of visitors a patient is allowed.

Data from Johns Hopkins University shows the seven-day rolling average of new cases in Oklahoma has risen from 224.7 per day on July 1st to 560.7 on July 15th. The data ranks Oklahoma ninth in the nation in the number of new cases per capita with 155.3 new cases per 100,000 residents.