President's emergency declaration triggers price-gouging law

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — President Donald Trump's declaration Friday of a national emergency over the new coronavirus triggered an Oklahoma law that prohibits price-gouging, the state's attorney general said.

Attorney General Mike Hunter said the law prohibits an increase of more than 10% in the price of goods or services during a declared emergency.

For most people, the new coronavirus causes only mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia. The vast majority of people recover from the new virus.

Trump also announced on Friday a new public-private partnership to increase national testing capabilities. Oklahoma used more than half its testing capacity Wednesday to test 58 members of the Utah Jazz basketball organization after a player tested positive.

Oklahoma state epidemiologist Laurence Burnsed said it would have been too risky to transport them back to Utah for testing without knowing who might be positive.

“We had to determine if we would need certain individuals to be chartered on one flight to go, versus some other individuals who need to be isolated and removed separately from the rest of the individuals so we minimize the continued transmission," Burnsed said.