Oklahoma's GOP plans to reopen the state starting Friday, despite opposition from doctors and Democrats who say it's way too soon

• Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt announced plans to start reopening the state on Friday, starting with personal care businesses like hair salons and nail salons.
• It's the fourth state to announce reopening plans, following Florida, Georgia, and South Carolina.
• The president of the Oklahoma State Medical Association called the reopening plan "hasty at best."
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

Oklahoma has become the fourth state to announce plans to re-open its economy, but some say the decision is premature in a week when the state saw a spike in new cases.

The plan will start with businesses like hair salons and pet groomers reopening first on Friday, followed by churches and movie theaters on May 1.

Gov. Kevin Stitt pointed to charts showing a downward trend in hospitalizations and cases plateauing in the state, but doctors and Democrats say that's not enough.

Dr. George Monks, president of the Oklahoma State Medical Association, told The Oklahoman newspaper that the plan is "hasty at best."

"Even without widespread testing, Oklahoma has seen an ongoing growth in the number of cases, hospitalizations and deaths in the past week alone."

Monks said that the White House advises states should not start reopening until they've seen a two-week downward trend in coronavirus cases.

"We're far from that point," he concluded.

In fact, this week saw a spike in cases. On Tuesday, the Oklahoma State Department of Helath reported 127 new cases, the largest one-day increase since April 9.

Oklahoma House Minority Leader Emily Virgin also disagrees with the plan, saying Oklahoma does not meet the criteria for reopening set by the CDC.

"Furthermore, since the beginning of this crisis, we have failed to administer proper testing or tracing that is needed to ensure Oklahoma meets the CDC guidelines," Virgin told The Oklahoman.

"Reopening without proper data and against the scientific community (recommendations) puts Oklahoma workers in a dangerous position to have to choose between their safety and their job. We urge the governor to reconsider until better data is available."

During a press briefing on Tuesday, Stitt said the state's reopening plan was based on the guidelines set out by the White House last week.

Starting Friday, he says personal care businesses like hair salons, barber ships, nail salons, spas, and pet groomers can reopen so long as they operate by appointment only.

They would also have to follow social distancing and sanitation guidelines put out by the state's Department of Commerce.

State parks will be reopened on Friday as well, while grocery stores are being asked to continue operating special hours for vulnerable groups.

Then on May 1, churches, movie theaters, sporting venues, gyms, and tattoo parlors can begin to reopen.

However, bars and schools will remains closed, and visits to nursing homes will be prohibited.

"We are making decisions for Oklahomans that are based on the data in our state and to protect the health of Oklahomans," Stitt said at the press conference.

"There is light at the end of the tunnel and it's starting to get brighter every day as we continue to do testing and watch those curves flatten," he added.

"Thank you Oklahoma for taking this seriously and doing your part in getting us to this point."