Dec 23, 2020

Nebraska could soon relax virus restrictions further

Posted Dec 23, 2020 5:59 PM

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Nebraska may soon relax its social distancing restrictions again because the number of people hospitalized with the coronavirus has continued to decline.

Gov. Pete Ricketts has said he will relax those restrictions if there are consistently less than 15% of the state’s hospital beds occupied by virus patients.

Currently, 14% of Nebraska’s staffed hospital beds are occupied by COVID-19 patients, and that number has remained below 15% for six days in a row.

The state said the number of people being treated in hospitals declined again Tuesday to 566 from the previous day’s 582.

That total remains well below the record of 987 set on Nov. 20.