Lincoln – Gov. Pete Ricketts issued an executive order last week to loosen restrictions on hospitals and other health care facilities so they can respond to a possible surge in patients suffering from COVID-19.

The order temporarily relaxes training requirements on nursing aides, medications aides and dining assistants during the statewide emergency, but those workers would still have to demonstrate basic competence in their field before they could work. Ricketts said the order drops the state’s training requirement of 76 hours of experience down to eight until the declared emergency ends. It also would remove limits on the number acute care beds within certain hospitals and the average amount of time a patient can stay.

“It’s an opportunity for us to have caregivers” before the situation worsens, Ricketts said at a Capitol press conference.

– Associated Press