Lincoln-Lancaster County COVID Risk Increases

July 27, 2021, midnight ·

Lincoln-Lancaster County Health Department Director Pat Lopez
Lincoln-Lancaster County Health Department Director Pat Lopez (LNKTV screenshot)

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With figures for COVID-19 rising, the Lincoln-Lancaster County Health Department is raising its risk rating from low to moderate, but not implementing any new restrictions.

In a Tuesday afternoon news conference, Lincoln-Lancaster County Health Director Pat Lopez said key indicators for the impact of COVID, including case rates, positivity rates, health care system capacity and deaths have been getting worse.

“The changes we are seeing that are happening are really going quickly, and we continue to be very concerned about the shift in our local situation. For those reasons, our risk dial, which has been in green since May 18, is moving from green to yellow today. This indicates that the risk of the virus spreading and the impact of our community are really moderate,” Lopez said.

Lopez said there are no new restrictions to go along with the heightened risk. But she recommended people who are unvaccinated wear masks in public setting indoors and in crowded outdoor settings; those over 65 or with underlying health conditions avoid close contact with unvaccinated people, and anyone with symptoms including fever, cough or shortness of breath wear a mask even if vaccinated.

The announcement comes on the same day as the Centers for Disease Control recommended that vaccinated people in communities with high transmission rates wear masks in public spaces indoors, and that school personnel and students wear them regardless of vaccination status.

In response, Gov. Pete Ricketts said the CDC announcement flies in the face of public health goals and Nebraska will not adopt the agency’s mask guidance.

Lopez said her department is talking to schools about what they should do. She recommended children should be vaccinated if they are eligible to avoid missing school or sports, infecting other family members, or suffering long-term effects from COVID.