STOTHERT SAYS SHE TESTED NEGATIVE FOR COVID-19 AFTER PROTESTER SPAT ON HER

OMAHA - Omaha Mayor Jean Stothert says she tested negative for COVID-19 after protesters spat on her outside City Hall this month. When asked if the spitting was intentional, Stothert said, “I believe so.” During a press conference Monday, the mayor said she got spit on her while talking to protesters. She was tested on June 8.

Stothert said her goal when the spitting incident occurred was “to go out and talk to (protesters).”

“I didn’t say a word about (the spit) to tell you the truth,” Stothert said. “Because my intention was going out there to listen and to answer questions. And the last thing I wanted to do was to leave as they became angrier and angrier.”

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EDITORIAL: LISTEN TO NEBRASKA’S EXPERT DOCTORS: WEAR A MASK

OMAHA - Nebraska is poised to further ease restrictions and open up daily life. What’s one of the main ways that important effort could be undermined? If a large number of Nebraskans fail to wear masks when they are in close proximity to others.

Public health officials have been clear from the start about the protective value of masks. Water droplets are one of the main ways the coronavirus spreads. Masks help stop the droplet dispersal. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention last week issued a new set of health guidance about the importance of mask wearing.

North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, a Republican, has rightly termed that a “senseless dividing line.” As he said in a press conference last month, if someone is wearing a mask, they “might be doing it because they’ve got a 5-year-old child who’s been going through cancer treatments. They might have vulnerable adults in their life, who currently have COVID and they’re fighting.”

We’ve seen since March how difficult life is in the midst of a full-blown virus threat. Masks are a key way we can move forward, for everyone’s sake.

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EDITORIAL: PACKING PLANTS MUST STEP UP ANTI-VIRUS STEPS, UNMC SURVEY SHOWS

OMAHA - Experience since March has dramatically shown that meatpacking plants are especially vulnerable to becoming COVID-19 hot spots. Minimizing exposure risks at packing plants is a key step for any U.S. state to contain its virus threat. A new survey of packing plant workers by the University of Nebraska Medical Center shows that plants in Nebraska have made progress, but they still must address remaining shortcomings: ensuring social distancing at work, and fulfilling commitments to provide paid time off.

Of the 600 workers surveyed by UNMC, only a minority — 39% — said their plants had spaced out workers on the production line and in common areas such as cafeterias and locker rooms. Social distancing is necessary to bolster the protection offered by steps the plants have taken: providing masks, checking workers’ temperatures and posting COVID-19 info, said Athena Ramos, an assistant professor at UNMC who works at the Center for Reducing Health Disparities and crafted the survey.

The more that packing companies step up their actions to contain the virus threat, the better for those businesses, their communities and Nebraska as a whole. This is no time to let up in the fight against the virus.

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Midlands Voices: Universal mask wearing is truly necessary during this health crisis

OMAHA- The writers, Dr's James Lawler, Daniel Johnson, and Sara Bares are all M.D.s at Nebraska Medicine and faculty members at the University of Nebraska Medical Center. 

"As infectious disease and critical care specialists at UNMC and Nebraska Medicine, we bear firsthand witness to the human toll of COVID-19 on a daily basis. While we are happy to see Nebraskans getting back to work and slowly restoring normalcy to our lives, we also sense a growing gap between the public’s perception that the worst of the pandemic is behind us and the reality that we continue to teeter on the precipice of disaster.

How the pandemic plays out in Nebraska largely depends on the collective result of how each of us acts individually. Just as the old Smokey Bear advertisements focused on personal responsibility to prevent forest fires, the same message is relevant here: Only YOU can prevent COVID-19.

Your safety, and the safety of your family and your neighbors, rest upon the actions you take in the coming weeks and months. So, what can you do?

You can start by wearing a mask..."

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RICKETTS TO FURTHER EASE CORONAVIRUS RESTRICTIONS ON BARS, RESTAURANTS, GATHERINGS

LINCOLN – As of June 22nd, in 89 counties, bars and restaurants can serve customers at 100% of their rated occupancy, with some restrictions remaining. Child care centers can step up the number of children allowed per room.Indoor gatherings, including arenas, can step up to 50% of their occupancy. Outdoor gatherings, including stadiums, can go to 75% occupancy. 

In the four other counties — Hall, Hamilton, Merrick, and Dakota — the restrictions will be relaxed to the level where the other counties are now.

Ricketts said the state may see an increase in coronavirus cases because of the recent Black Lives Matter protests and because of increased testing for the virus, but he expressed confidence that Nebraska has the capacity to manage the disease. As of Monday evening, the state reported 16,851 positive tests for COVID-19 and 220 deaths. Statewide, 43% of hospital beds are available for patients, with 53% of ICU beds open and 76% of the state’s ventilators available.

“We probably have the fewest hospitalizations since the first week in May,” Ricketts said.

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NEBRASKA TAX RECEIPTS DROP SLIGHTLY IN MAY; CORONAVIRUS IMPACT MAY COME LATER

LINCOLN - Nebraska's net tax receipts dropped slightly in May, though budget watchers are still waiting to determine the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on state revenue. In May, overall tax receipts were down 2.2%, or about $10 million, from the certified forecast made 11 months ago, the Nebraska Department of Revenue reported Monday.

However, compared to the revenue forecast that was adjusted upward in February — the forecast used by the State Legislature to set the state budget — the tax receipts were down 3.6% or $16 million.

A spokeswoman for the Revenue Department said that the full impact of COVID-19 probably won't be known until after July 15, which is the deadline for payment of state income taxes — a deadline that was pushed back from April 15 due to the virus.

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LANCASTER COUNTY ENDS WEEK WITH FEWEST NEW COVID-19 CASES SINCE APRIL

LINCOLN - Lancaster County added 21 coronavirus cases Saturday but ended the week with the fewest new cases since April 25. The Lincoln-Lancaster County Health Department reported 110 cases in the past seven days, a decline from 145 a week ago and down from 299 when cases peaked locally on May 9.

The number of people tested in the county nearly matched last week's numbers, but the rate of tests returned positive was 4.6%, the lowest level since widespread testing has been available, officials said.

The number of new cases continues to slow statewide, as well. In its latest report, the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services reported 16,633 cases in the state, with 216 deaths.

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WITH REOPENING COMES HEIGHTENED SAFETY CONCERNS FOR NEBRASKA BUSINESSES

LINCOLN - The Legislature's Business and Labor Committee held a virtual briefing last week on how businesses were navigating the effects of the virus. The briefing was initially closed to the media and public, but recorded and later posted online.

Kristen Hassebrook of the Nebraska Chamber of Commerce told the committee many businesses are adapting their hygiene, employee training and workplace responses to the coronavirus.

But the future of workplaces and remote capability is going to remain a challenge for many Nebraska businesses, she said.

Worker safety remains one of the bigger concerns of the virus, especially in the meat and poultry production plants, said Micky Devitt of Heartland Workers Center. The food processing plants are a good example of what's been going on more broadly, she said, and a way to find what could improve safety for other businesses as they open up.

At the top of safety measures are contact tracing, transparency with employees on infection and testing access.

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HEALTH CARE MAINTENANCE VITAL DURING PANDEMIC

SCOTTSBLUFF - Routine health care is similar to routine maintenance on your car. The better your upkeep, the better the car will run and the longer it will last. With medical care, the better you keep up with chronic medical care, whether that’s medication changes or tweaks or exams with your blood pressure or diabetes, the better you’re going to be able to take care of your condition and prevent a disaster, said Dr. Matthew Bruner at Regional West Health Services.

Measures enacted to flatten the curve and reduce the spread of COVID-19 have served their purpose, but have also lengthened the time span of the pandemic, causing people to push back routine visits, potentially pushing conditions from a preventative care situation to something more serious.

The emphasis on safely providing preventative and chronic health care maintenance should not be underestimated.

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MEATPACKING REBOUNDS BUT HIGH PRICES AND BACKLOG PERSIST

OMAHA — Meat production has rebounded from its low point during the coronavirus pandemic when dozens of plants were closed, but experts say consumer prices are likely to remain high and it will take months to work through a backlog of millions of pigs and cattle, creating headaches for producers.

Earlier this week, beef, pork, and poultry plants were operating at more than 95% of last year’s levels, which was up from about 60% in April at the height of plant closures and slowdowns, according to the U.S. Agriculture Department.

Grocery stores, which absorbed some of the meat price increases this spring, also may not pass along all the price cuts as they try to restore their profit margins. As meat plants scale up to full capacity, companies still must ensure that plants don't again become hotbeds of infections.

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SMALL BUSINESSES, LIVESTOCK PRODUCERS HURT BY CORONAVIRUS CAN APPLY FOR STATE AID BEGINNING MONDAY

LINCOLN - Gov. Pete Ricketts announced Friday that small-business owners and livestock producers hurt by the coronavirus pandemic can start applying for grants from the state next week.

The grants are being created with a share of the state’s $1.25 billion in federal coronavirus relief. Nebraska is putting $387 million of the total into helping small businesses and livestock producers, retraining workers, and expanding broadband Internet in rural areas.

Under the biggest program, the state will distribute $330 million as stabilization grants for small businesses and livestock producers. The $12,000 grants are available for businesses with five to 49 employees and livestock producers with one to 10 employees and at least 20 head of livestock. The money can be used for operating expenses and working capital.

Applications will be accepted for two weeks, from Monday through June 26. State officials hope to get the money out by Aug. 1.

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COULD CORONAVIRUS HOTSPOTS BE PREDICTED? RESEARCHERS THINK FEVERS COULD BE THE KEY

OMAHA – A team of University of Nebraska researchers is investigating whether fever data from Internet-connected thermometers can help forecast COVID-19 hot spots in Nebraska weeks before new outbreaks are officially reported.

Fadi Alsaleem, a University of Nebraska-Lincoln engineer, said data he obtained from the thermometers showed a spike in fevers in Nebraska in mid-March, about a month before a surge in cases was reported in the state.

He and other researchers also are seeking to combine the thermometer data with other data sets to build a model that might better predict how the spread of coronavirus will respond to the relaxation of social distancing guidelines.

The thermometers are produced by Kinsa Inc., a San Francisco-based company that for several years has used anonymous fever data uploaded to the Internet to track influenza.

“I think it’s an exciting development, a pathway forward to predicting where spikes of (COVID-19) will occur so we can have the ability to forecast (and) predict how to respond,” said Freifeld, who recently joined the project.

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'EVERYTHING IS A GO' FOR NEBRASKA SHRINE BOWL AS RESTRICTIONS ON CONTACT SPORTS ARE LIFTED JULY 1ST

LINCOLN - Gov. Pete Ricketts will allow contact sports in the state to resume on July 1. That means the Nebraska Shrine Bowl can be played July 11 in Kearney. Also, high school football, basketball and soccer players and wrestlers can join the rest of their classmates in summer workouts.

Jay Bellar, the executive director of the Nebraska School Activities Association, said the NSAA will provide schools with updated guidelines as soon as it can. Shrine Bowl executive director Dave MacDonald, who heard about the July 1 opening from a board member, called it a “pretty exciting day.”

“Everything is a go," he said.

It was only last week that the NSAA allowed high schools to hold open gyms for basketball, football, soccer and wrestling with restrictions.Activity through June 30 will be limited to individual skills and workouts. There can no physical contact with others, no sharing of equipment and no grouping of students. Open gym supervisors are required to enforce the restrictions.On Thursday, the NSAA will let high schools participate in camps, clinics and summer leagues in all sanctioned activities except basketball, football, soccer and wrestling. Thursday also is the first day for youth baseball and softball games in the state.

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OFFUTT AIR FORCE BASE MAKES FIRST MOVES TOWARDS LOOSENING CORONAVIRUS RESTRICTIONS

OMAHA - Citing a leveling-off of new COVID-19 cases in the Omaha metro area, 55th Wing Commander Col. Gavin Marks has taken the first steps toward loosening the 3-month-old pandemic restrictions at Offutt Air Force Base.

Marks gave Offutt military commands the go-ahead to allow up to 50% of their personnel to work from on-base offices beginning Monday. To accommodate additional traffic, he allowed the reopening of the Kenney Gate (on Fort Crook Road just south of Highway 370) for the first time since March.

He said the lifting of some restrictions was recommended by the public health working group he created earlier this year to offer advice on handling the pandemic, which has caused the deaths of more than 115,000 Americans.

He warned Offutt airmen, though, to continue to follow mask-wearing, sanitizing, and social-distancing guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and from the base.

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MORE THAN 27,000 NEBRASKANS HAVE BEEN TESTED FOR CORONAVIRUS BY TESTNEBRASKA

OMAHA - More than 27,000 Nebraskans have been tested for the coronavirus through the state’s $27 million testing initiative, TestNebraska. Statistics released by the state Wednesday show that of those tested in May who have received their results, 886 tested positive and 23,170 tested negative. Forty-eight inconclusive results have come back since the start of testing.

Last week, Nebraska began to offer coronavirus tests to people outside of priority groups.

The expansion of TestNebraska means that anyone ages 15 to 35 can get tested in Douglas, Lancaster, and Sarpy Counties, as well as anyone of any age group in the other 90 Nebraska counties.

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PANDEMIC MORE THAN DOUBLES METRO AREA’S UNEMPLOYMENT, DROPS AIR TRAVEL 92%, CHAMBER REPORT SHOWS

OMAHA - April was a tough month for the Omaha metro area’s economy, according to data from the Greater Omaha Chamber.The number of passengers boarding planes at Eppley Airfield, for example, plummeted from about 104,000 in March to just 8,700 in April — a nearly 92% drop. Meanwhile, the metro area’s unemployment rate rose from 4.3% to 9.9%. That was better than the national rate of 14.4% but worse than Nebraska’s rate of 8.6%.

Those figures were among the monthly economic indicators released by the chamber Wednesday that show how the coronavirus pandemic has affected the local economy. The numbers encompass a seven-county region: Cass, Dodge, Douglas, Otoe, Sarpy and Washington in Nebraska and Pottawattamie in Iowa.

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POTENTIAL COVID-19 NEBRASKA AGRICULTURE LOSSES PEGGED AT $3.7 BILLION

LINCOLN - Nebraska could suffer nearly $3.7 billion in agricultural income losses this year due to the coronavirus if economic conditions do not improve, the Nebraska Farm Bureau estimated Wednesday.Jay Rempe, the Nebraska Farm Bureau's senior economist, said “To provide some perspective, $3.7 billion is more than 80% of the state of Nebraska's entire budget.”

The analysis pegs potential estimated losses in the beef cattle sector at nearly $1 billion in 2020. Potential corn and soybean losses were estimated at $1.17 billion. Potential losses in the ethanol sector could reach $1.3 billion, assuming that ethanol plants are unable to operate at more than 75% of capacity for the remainder of the year.

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CASES OF CORONAVIRUS CONTINUE TO INCREASE AMONG SENIORS IN SCOTTSFULL; RICKETTS SAYS DECLINE ACROSS NEBRASKA

SCOTTSBLUFF - Panhandle Public Health District officials announced the first case of the coronavirus in Banner County Monday, as cases continue to increase in Scotts Bluff County. Officials said 11 more people have tested positive, with results coming in since Friday.

Cases among the elderly, which has been identified as a vulnerable population, continue to increase in the Panhandle. As of Monday, 39 people over the age of 60 have been diagnosed with the coronavirus.

On Thursday during his press conferce, Governor Ricketts relased updated numbers regarding COVID-19 and long-term care facilities. 126 facilities (25% of the total number of facilities across Nebraska) have had positives tests in either residents or staff. A total of 553 residents, and 440 staff have tested positive, with 98 total deaths (of residents). Governor Ricketts however highlighted that the numbers have been dropping over time, and that his administration is working on a plan to reopen facilities. 

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UNIVERSITY OF NEBRASKA RESEARCHERS CONSTRUCTING MODEL TO PREDICT CORONAVIRUS OUTBREAKS USING FEVER DATA

KEARNEY - Putting a smart thermometer to the ear could mean putting an ear to the ground for future COVID-19 outbreaks and the consequences of relaxing social distancing, according to a University of Nebraska-Lincoln engineer.

Working with colleagues Basheer Qolomany, who researches machine learning and big data at the University of Nebraska at Kearney, and Alison Freifeld, professor of contagious diseases at the University of Nebraska Medical Center, Fadi Alsaleem is exploring how data from Bluetooth-connected Kinsa thermometers may help forecast COVID-19 hotspots in Nebraska up to weeks before new outbreaks are officially reported.

The three researchers are using Kinsa data and machine learning to construct a model that could better predict how the spread of the novel coronavirus will respond to relaxing social distancing guidelines.

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RUSH TO HALT CORONAVIRUS BRINGS APPS TO TRACK SPREAD, BUT HURDLES PLENTIFUL

WASHINGTON – The global rush to halt the coronavirus led countries like Australia and South Korea to launch smartphone apps to track its spread — using the technology as a key part of their push to tamp down the pandemic and restart their economies. But in the U.S., with varying opinions on what data these apps should record, the federal government has so far failed to institute concrete privacy standards. Apple and Google sought to fill the void by asserting their own standards, flexing the power they hold over the software on almost all smartphones. The result is a nationwide hodgepodge that has U.S. states struggling to take advantage of what sounded like promising digital tools to determine who has been exposed to the coronavirus.

Some Americans will have multiple apps to choose from. Others will have none at all. And the level of adoption experts say is needed for these apps to make a meaningful difference — about 60 percent of the population — is looking all but impossible to hit.

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