Jul 31, 2020

Omaha-area health director declines call for mandatory masks

Posted Jul 31, 2020 7:15 PM

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Douglas County's health director has announced she will not issue an order requiring people in the county and Omaha to wear masks.

Douglas County Health Director Adi Pour had been widely expected to issue a mandate Friday after the Douglas County Board of Health on Monday voted unanimously to support a mask mandate. But the decision not to was made after Gov. Pete Ricketts and the state’s Attorney General’s offices contacted local authorities to insist that a local mandate would violate state law.

The news came as the state continued to see a rise in cases, including 344 new confirmed cases and four more COVID-19 deaths on Thursday.