Ricketts Says State Leaders Closely Monitoring Coronavirus

March 13, 2020, 1:26 p.m. ·

Ricketts%20Presser%20Photo%20Group.png

Listen To This Story

Governor Pete Ricketts and other state leaders say they’re closely monitoring the coronavirus situation in Nebraska and are ready to take additional measures to mitigate the spread of the disease if necessary.


Follow the latest news and resources: netNebraska.org/coronavirus

“Our goal is to make sure that we slow down the spread of the virus so that we don’t overwhelm the healthcare system and can take care of those folks who are generally going to be elderly, generally going to have an underlying health condition, to provide them the care that they need,” Ricketts said Friday.

If community spread of the virus appears in communities, schools will very likely be closed for an extended period of time. Many of the larger school districts in the Omaha area are already closed down either for spring break or because of coronavirus.

“When we have those cases we can’t track in the community, we will be closing schools for 6-8 weeks, that’s our current plan,” Ricketts said.

He advises people who think they might have the coronavirus to work through their healthcare provider for screening to determine if they’re good candidates to get a test.

Watch the Press Conference Below