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Cherokee Nation Pushes For Statewide Mask Mandate

Cherokee Nation
Cherokee Nation Principal Chief Chuck Hoskin Jr. speaks on Indigenous Peoples' Day in Tahlequah, Okla. Next to Hoskin Jr. is a statue of Sequoyah wearing a mask.

Oklahoma has had more than 102,000 cases of coronavirus and it's trying to keep pace with a record number of hospitalizations.

That's why Cherokee Nation Principal Chief Chuck Hoskin Jr. is pushing for a statewide mask mandate.

Cherokee Nation started opening their offices and businesses in late May and enacted a mask mandate to keep employees safe and allow people to come back to work.

Hoskin Jr. said it's an abdication of responsibility to not require masks for all Oklahomans.

"I've become frustrated over time that some of our leaders in the country and certainly Governor Stitt seem to ignore this very basic piece of advice from public health experts," Hoskin Jr. said.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, mask wearing and social distancing are the most effective ways to slow the spread of COVID-19.

Allison Herrera covered Indigenous Affairs for KOSU from April 2020 to November 2023.
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