OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — A mandate to wear masks to slow the spread of the coronavirus will not be imposed statewide in Oklahoma, Gov. Kevin Stitt said Tuesday, despite the White House coronavirus task force's recommendation for such a rule.

"We believe that you should wear masks," Stitt said during a news conference in Stillwater in which he called for residents to also follow recommendations to socially distance and frequently wash hands.

"A mask mandate is something I that believe we should leave to the local communities ... I believe that's a local control (decision) and I'm not going to manda...