With the continued rise in COVID-19 positive cases, the Osage Nation Welcome Center remained closed to the public as of Jan. 21.

The Nation’s government continues to operate weekdays with Welcome Center departmental working staff able to assist constituents remotely. In the meantime, the Osage public can contact Constituent Services by phone or online with inquiries and service needs.

“The closure is a safety measure to keep Osage Nation employees and Osage Nation constituents healthy while continuing to provide services critical to our community,” according to a Jan. 19 online post.

The ON Tax Commission is also providing a secured drop box at the north entrance to the Welcome Center for any applications and other Tax Commission needs.

Tax Commission service information, including vehicle registration and renewal forms and business license and tax applications, are available online at: www.osagenation-nsn.gov/services/tax-commission 

Members of the public requesting information or inquiries can contact Constituent Services online by completing and submitting a contact form at: www.osagenation-nsn.gov/contact

The online form submits inquiries to Constituent Services staff, who will forward submissions to the appropriate department, program, or person. If individuals require a response, please provide a method to respond back. Individuals are asked to not submit sensitive information on the form.

For telephone inquiries, Constituent Services can be reached:

– Toll-free at (800) 320-8742

– Local phone: (918) 287-5555

The continued Welcome Center closure follows one week after the Wah-Zha-Zhe Health Center tested more than 400 ON government employees Jan. 10-11 where 64 employees tested positive.

At the state level, the Oklahoma State Department of Health reported 13,406 new COVID-19 positive cases on Jan. 20, which is 3,000-plus higher than the 10,001 new cases reported one day prior. The state’s cumulative total of COVID-19 cases is 866,403 as of Jan. 20.