COVID Update

COVID-19 made its first appearance in Nebraska eight weeks ago. As of 6 a.m. on May 4, District 1 (which covers 2,400 square miles) has seven lab-confirmed cases: four in Johnson County, two in Otoe County, and one in Nemaha County.

April 30th was the final day of Governor Ricketts’ “21 Days to Stay Home and Stay Healthy” program. Beginning May 4, restrictions will be eased in less heavily-impacted areas, including District 1. A new Directed Health Measure outlines which restrictions will be eased, including the following:

• Restaurant dining rooms are limited to 50 percent of the maximum occupancy rating at a time. There is a limit of six people per table, which must be spaced six feet apart.
• Beauty and nail salons, barbershops, massage therapy services, and tattoo studios can open while maintaining the ten-person rule with employees and customers wearing masks. 
• Childcare facilities will be permitted to have up to 15 children per room/space, an increase of five over the previous requirement. 
• Churches, synagogues, mosques, temples, and other places of worship can resume services, weddings, and funerals. Each household must meet a minimum of six feet of separation. 
• Elective surgeries may proceed and dental offices, eye care clinics, and veterinary clinics can also reopen. 
• All other businesses currently ordered to close must remain closed until May 31, or until the orders are amended, including bars (which can still be open for take-out), gentlemen’s clubs, bottle clubs, indoor movie theaters, and indoor theatres. More information can be found on the Department of Health & Human Services’ COVID-19 dashboard or by contacting the DHHS COVID Information Line at 402-552-6645 from 8 a.m.-8 p.m. daily.

Many of you have contacted my office regarding unemployment claims, frustrated with delays in processing. Please keep in mind that the Department of Labor (DOL) has received three years’ worth of unemployment claims and have paid out two years’ worth of unemployment claims in the past two weeks alone. DOL is currently working seven days per week to efficiently process these claims, while efforts to cut red tape and update software have grown DOL’s daily processing capacity. These claims will be processed, though delays are likely due to the sheer volume of requests.

As always, I welcome your input on issues important to you. Follow along on my Facebook and Twitter pages, both entitled “Senator Julie Slama” for more updates, or contact me directly at Senator Julie Slama, District 1 State Capitol, PO Box 94604, Lincoln, NE 68509-4604; telephone 402-471-2733; email: jslama@leg.ne.gov