COVID-19

Only Essential Staff, Limited Family at NCAA Tournaments

Published by Scott Stewart on Wed, 03/11/2020 - 3:39pm

NCAA President Mark Emmert says NCAA Division I basketball tournament games will not be open to the general public because of concerns about the spread of coronavirus.

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Tests Show New Virus Lives on Some Surfaces for Three Days

Published by Scott Stewart on Wed, 03/11/2020 - 1:51pm

The new coronavirus can live in the air for several hours and on some surfaces for as long as two to three days, tests by U.S. government and other scientists have found.

Their work, published Wednesday, doesn’t prove that anyone has been infected through breathing it from the air or by touching contaminated surfaces, researchers stress.

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Nebraska Boys Basketball Tournament to be Played Without Fans

Published by Scott Stewart on Wed, 03/11/2020 - 1:16pm

As health officials across the country increasingly issue bans on large public gatherings to try to stop the spread of the new coronavirus, Nebraska school officials announced Wednesday that the state boys basketball tournament will be played in a mostly empty arena.

That news came on the heels of reports late Tuesday of two new cases of COVID-19 in Nebraska.

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WHO Declares Virus Crisis a Pandemic, Urges World to Fight

Published by Scott Stewart on Wed, 03/11/2020 - 12:12pm

Geneva – Expressing alarm both about mounting infections and inadequate government responses, the World Health Organization declared Wednesday that the global coronavirus crisis is now a pandemic but added that it's not too late for countries to act.

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Flu v. Coronavirus: Similar Symptoms, Different Fears

Published by Scott Stewart on Wed, 03/11/2020 - 12:06pm

Is it the flu, a cold or the new coronavirus? Patients and doctors alike are parsing signs of illness to figure out who needs what tests or care and how worried they should be.

"You have three different major viruses floating around at the same time," causing somewhat similar symptoms — but different levels of concern, said Dr. Gary LeRoy, president of the American Academy of Family Physicians.

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Two More Nebraska Residents Added to State Total for COVID-19

Published by Scott Stewart on Wed, 03/11/2020 - 8:24am

Two more Nebraska residents have tested positive for the new coronavirus disease, bringing the Nebraska total to five, health officials said.

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American Exposed to Virus on Cruise Ship Leaves Quarantine

Published by Scott Stewart on Tue, 03/10/2020 - 6:46pm

An American who was exposed to the new coronavirus on a Japanese cruise ship and who was being monitored at an Omaha hospital has been released from quarantine.

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Five More Iowans Test Positive for Virus, Including Council Bluffs Restaurant Employee

Published by Scott Stewart on Tue, 03/10/2020 - 12:00am

Des Moines – Five more Iowa residents have tested positive for new coronavirus, including a restaurant worker in Council Bluffs, officials announced Monday.

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Ricketts: Nebraska could be dealing with virus for a year

Published by Scott Stewart on Mon, 03/09/2020 - 1:06pm

Lincoln – Gov. Pete Ricketts warned Monday that Nebraska could be dealing with the novel coronavirus for the next nine to 12 months and urged the public to take precautionary steps to keep it from spreading.

Ricketts said the number of known cases in Nebraska has risen to three, but there aren’t yet indications that it’s spreading within communities.

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Plattsmouth Schools Also Canceling Classes as Precaution

Published by Scott Stewart on Mon, 03/09/2020 - 7:24am

Plattsmouth – The Plattsmouth school district in eastern Nebraska has joined schools in Fremont in canceling classes as a precaution against the spread of a new virus that originated in China.

The district said Sunday the classes and activities will be canceled Monday through Thursday. Classes already weren't planned for Friday.