Large coronavirus cluster in small panhandle town leads to state of emergency

GUYMON, OK — As of Tuesday, Guymon, Oklahoma has the second-highest amount of COVID-19 cases in the state.

Guymon is in Texas County, which has the third-highest amount of cases by county in the state, trailing behind Oklahoma and Tulsa.

The mayor of Guymon issued a state of emergency last week and issued a proclamation Tuesday with new restrictions residents must follow in order to prevent further spread of the virus.

Some restrictions include that all social gatherings of more than 10 people are prohibited.

Employees at restaurants, bars, movie theaters, gyms, and places of worship must have their temperatures checked daily.

These requirements went into effect May 19 and will not be reevaluated until June 9.

According to the Oklahoma State Department of Health, there are currently 784 cases of COVID-19 in Texas County.

Six hundred and fifty of those cases are in Guymon. There are four total deaths.

Dunaway Manor, a skilled nursing facility, and Heritage Community, an assisted living facility, are both in Guymon.

The OSDH said residents and employees at each facility have been tested twice for the virus.

According to data, there are five cases at those facilities with one death.

The Texas County Health Department Regional Director Terri Salisbury said it's working to test as many people as possible.

"Once we have positive cases, we have nurses that contact each positive case and discuss and educate what the results mean and review their close contacts with them versus casual contacts. Then contact investigation is done with those people to ensure they are utilizing preventive measures so they can prevent spread of the disease," Salisbury said.

Meanwhile, more than 2,000 workers at Seaboard Foods have been tested for COVID-19. The company said it is expecting all the results to be back by Wednesday.

This is a developing story. Stay with FOX 25 for the latest.