An Oklahoma school district released an apology Sunday after facing scathing reaction for publishing an image of a football event showing trainees and professional athletes neither wearing masks nor social distancing. There were too lots of high school students without masks and too lots of high school trainees in close contact with one another,” Jenks Public Schools wrote in a Facebook post.
The apology provided on Sunday comes a day after the school’s Facebook page showed an image of students and athletes celebrating a current success, seemingly oblivious to mitigation efforts against the continuous COVID-19 pandemic.
The post on Saturday featured four pictures showing players, coaches, staff, cheerleaders and trainees crowded together on the field and in the stands, with really few masks in sight.
After publishing the image on Saturday, the school dealt with harsh backlash, with numerous members of the community slamming the school for permitting the celebration to go on amid increasing cases, deaths and hospitalizations associated with COVID-19
” Incredibly self-centered,” one Facebook user composed, while another remark read, “Their health care workers are overwhelmed, exhausted and some dying, however let’s fill the arena for a super-spreader video game! Selfless morons.”
” Super spreader event?” Another commenter asked.
Rodin Eckenroth/Getty
While speaking to the Daily Beast, Elise Ramsey, a 22- year-old alum of Jenks High School and a present student at the University of Tulsa, said, “Health experts have actually been openly pleading the neighborhood to do whatever we can to slow spread for several weeks now,” adding that she was “horrified” by the post.
Jenks Public Schools directed Newsweek to the apology issued on Sunday and stated it had no further comment at this time.
According to the health department of Tulsa County, where Jenks lies, there are currently more than 36,000 verified COVID cases, in addition to a minimum of 289 deaths, in the county. Oklahoma does not have a statewide mask required in location, however a number of counties, including Tulsa, have imposed citywide mask requireds amid the ongoing pandemic.
Newsweek reached out to the health department for comment however did not get an action in time for publication.
COVID cases and deaths have continued to increase across Oklahoma. Data from the state’s health department shows more than 218,000 verified cases and a minimum of 1,911 deaths.
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