Lincoln – Nebraskans who order takeout during the coronavirus pandemic may soon be able to get a side of bread, milk and toilet paper from their local restaurant, Gov. Pete Ricketts announced.

Ricketts said last Tuesday that he is relaxing state rules that govern what local eateries can sell to give them more flexibility as they struggle with sharp declines in business. The move would allow restaurants to sell food and other goods not labeled for retail sale, including eggs, butter, cereal, produce and disinfectants.

The Nebraska Restaurant Association predicts that 6% of the state’s restaurants will close permanently because of the pandemic. Temporarily loosening the regulations could help some survive, said Zoe Olson, the group’s executive director.

Olson said restaurants could help fill the gaps left by grocery stores that have sold out of high-demand staples, particularly in rural areas. She said restaurants will likely advertise what they have available on social media.

“This is another revenue stream, another way to get our staff back to work,” she said.

Ricketts said the change is designed to preserve jobs and help meet the public’s demand for products that are scarce. Restaurants use different supply chains than grocery stores and tend to buy more products in bulk.

“This will help cut some of that red tape,” he said.

The change was possible because the U.S. Food and Drug Administration recently relaxed its regulations on bulk-food purchases, said Steve Wellman, director of the Nebraska Department of Agriculture.

The announcement coincided with “Takeout Tuesday,” an earlier declaration by Ricketts to encourage residents to order from restaurants during the pandemic.

Ricketts has ordered all of the state’s restaurants and bars to close their dining areas for the next few weeks and only offer takeout and delivery services. The rules are designed to discourage large public gatherings and prevent the coronavirus from spreading and overwhelming hospitals.