It would be “premature” to issue the state of emergency declaration requested earlier in the day by state Rep. Mike Ritze, R-Broken Arrow, Gov. Mary Fallin’s office said Wednesday.
Ritze asked for a “catastrophic health emergency” because of “the potential spread of Ebola.”
Fallin’s office rejected the need for such a declaration.
“Declaring a state of emergency when no Oklahomans are actually sick would be premature,” Fallin spokesman Alex Weintz said in an email. “If and when a state of emergency is declared, we want citizens to pay attention and understand the risk is real and immediate.”
Ritze said Wednesday evening that he is concerned that the state is not fully prepared for an outbreak of the disease, which has infected thousands of people in Africa.
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Only one verified case has been diagnosed in the United States. That patient, who came to the U.S. from Liberia, died this week in a Dallas hospital.
Ritze said his concerns are three-fold: the death of the Texas patient; federal inquiries into the readiness of hospitals in Oklahoma and the rest of the country to accept Ebola patients; and individuals entering the state outside the usual channels. Specifically, he mentioned the temporary housing of 90 juveniles from India at Fort Sill last summer.
“I’m not seeing any formal training (for Ebola), except some faxes coming through,” Ritze said.
He noted that Connecticut declared a state of emergency because of Ebola, but Weintz said Oklahoma health officials already have the authority to do everything their Connecticut counterparts can under that state’s emergency declaration.
“Gov. Fallin is coordinating with health officials and hospitals to ensure that the state is prepared to treat and contain any incidents of Ebola in Oklahoma,” Weintz said. “Should an Oklahoman get sick, we are ready to act.”
