Lincoln – Nebraska lawmakers approved an $83.6 million emergency relief package last week to help public health officials respond to the coronavirus pandemic, as the number of cases continued to rise and Lincoln ordered some businesses to close and restricted how others can operate.

Gov. Pete Ricketts signed the funding bill last Wednesday to pay for additional medical and cleaning supplies, tests and overtime for state health care workers.

Ricketts also added Lancaster, Dodge and Saunders counties to the list of places where restaurants and bars will have to close their dining rooms because of the health risk. Including Douglas, Sarpy, Cass and Washington counties, over half the state’s population – more than 1.1 million people – are covered by directed health measures.

Meanwhile, Lincoln Mayor Leirion Gaylor Baird announced a ban on gatherings larger than 10 as well as rules that will force the closure of salons, massage parlors, tattoo shops and other places where people are close together.

“The directed health measure will present new challenges and ask for new sacrifices,” Gaylor Baird said. “It is important to remember why we are so committed to complying with them faithfully.”

Although Nebraska had not reported any deaths from the disease as of Wednesday, the number of sick was growing steadily as residents physically isolated themselves from others to try to slow the spread and prevent new cases from overwhelming hospitals.

For most people, the virus causes mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough that clear up in two to three weeks. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia, or death.

After approving the new funding, the Legislature, which has 17 days remaining in its regular session, adjourned for an unknown amount of time.

“We don’t know what we don’t know, and we don’t know when we’ll be returning,” Speaker of the Legislature Jim Scheer said. “Hopefully we’ll see a lot of advancements that allow us to return earlier rather than later, but I want to be sure we are safe when we do come back.”

WHAT’S IN THE BILL

The Nebraska Legislature’s recent emergency relief package includes the following:

• $38.2 million for personal protective gear and other supplies and support for health departments;

• $13 million to maintain staffing at veterans’ homes and state Department of Health and Human Services care facilities;

• $4 million for additional staffing and overtime costs for the DHHS Division of Public Health;

• $2.5 million to the University of Nebraska Medical Center for lab equipment, software programming and personnel;

• $515,000 to UNMC for COVID-19 testing;

• $344,000 to set up a statewide communication system to share information related to response efforts; and

• $25 million in unobligated funds to be held in reserve for unforeseen needs that may arise due to the pandemic.

– Nebraska Unicameral Information Office