GOP Governor Puts an End to Months of COVID Mandates
Republican Nebraska Gov. Pete Ricketts will end nearly all of his state’s social distancing restrictions on Monday.
The new rules will still limit the size of large indoor gatherings but will drop all other state-imposed mandates in favor of voluntary guidelines, as other conservative states have done.
“We are loosening the restrictions further on Sept. 14,” Ricketts said at a news conference.
State officials said they made the decision based on the availability of hospital beds and ventilators, in keeping with the Republican governor’s goal of not overwhelming medical facilities.
“The goal has always been to protect hospital capacity, and capacity remains stable,” Ricketts spokesman Taylor Gage said.
Nebraska’s hospitals have 36 percent of their regular beds, 31 percent of their intensive care unit beds and 81 percent of their ventilators available, according to the state’s online tracking portal. Those numbers have changed little in the last few months.
The new rules will apply statewide except in Lancaster County, which includes the state capital of of Lincoln, home to the University of Nebraska’s flagship campus.
They’ve already been in effect in 27 of Nebraska’s 93 counties, but those areas are overwhelmingly rural and have seen few confirmed cases.
Nebraska will also allow smaller indoor facilities, such as bars, restaurants, churches, gyms and hair salons, to operate with no formal restrictions.
State guidance still recommends limiting crowd sizes, but those guidelines aren’t enforceable.
Under the new rules, larger indoor venues such as concert halls can allow gatherings of up to 75 percent of their capacity, up from 50 percent.
Additionally, Ricketts said people who want a gathering of 500 people or more will have to get approval from their local public health director.
The state’s shift won’t affect mask requirements in Omaha and Lincoln. Both cities still require people to wear face coverings in most indoor spaces when they aren’t able to stay at least 6 feet apart.
Lincoln-Lancaster County Public Health Director Pat Lopez has said her county won’t ease its restrictions this month because of a recent increase in cases.
“This is the time not only to stay the course, but also to redouble our efforts in Lancaster County,” Lopez said. “We need to do what is best for our community to overcome the impacts of this virus.”
Nebraska has confirmed 36,917 COVID-19 cases and 421 deaths since the pandemic began, according to the state’s tracking portal.
The Western Journal has reviewed this Associated Press story and may have altered it prior to publication to ensure that it meets our editorial standards.
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