OMAHA, Neb. (AP) - An Omaha city councilman wants to extend the city’s mask mandate through at least Oct. 20 as the state topped 33,000 confirmed coronavirus cases and crept close to 400 COVID-19 deaths this week.
Councilman Pete Festersen proposes the extension, which would also exempt those playing team sports, television station KETV reported. Festersen said he has the backing of other council members, including Ben Gray, who said an extension is “critical if we are going to have any chance at slowing the spread.”
“We want to see a reduction in positivity rates, a number of cases,” Festersen said.
The city council will need to vote on the extension proposal by Tuesday, as it will take two weeks for the ordinance to go into effect and the current mandate expires Sept. 15.
The proposal comes as schools districts around the state report new cases and quarantines as schools reopen for the fall. An Omaha shelter for women and families - Open Door Mission’s Lydia House - also announced Friday that it has closed after a cluster of COVID-19 cases were reported within the facility. Lydia House officials said the shelter will keep its doors closed to new intakes and volunteers for 10 days, until Sept. 8.
The state’s online virus tracker showed Friday that 33,101 cases of the virus have been confirmed in Nebraska since the outbreak began, and 391 people have died from the virus.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.