Southwest Nebraska in Directed Health Measure

Saturday, April 4, 2020

To reduce spread of the virus that causes COVID-19, Southwest Nebraska Public Health Department (SWNPHD) announces the implementation of Directed Health Measures (DHM) under Executive Order by the Governor of Nebraska. These DHMs impact the counties of Chase, Dundy, Frontier, Furnas, Hayes, Hitchcock, Keith, Perkins and Red Willow, as well as all additional Nebraska counties which were not currently under DHM. This order becomes effective as of 10:00 PM on April 3, 2020. The new measures make the recent social distancing recommendations enforceable by law and include such things as:

Imposes an enforceable, 10-person limit on public gatherings.

Prohibits medical and dental elective surgeries and procedures.

Requires schools (public, private, and parochial) to operate without students through May 31, 2020.

Cancels all school-related extracurricular activities through May 31, 2020.

Requires restaurants and bars to close their dining areas and move to takeout, delivery, and/or curbside service only.

The DHM’s limitation on public gatherings does not apply to:

Retail or grocery stores where people should maintain six feet of distance from one another.

Daycares that may be operated at a school per the Governor’s executive order regarding childcare

Other locations detailed in the DHM.

More can be read about the new DHM at www.swhealth.ne.gov on SWNPHD’s COVID-19 webpage, or in the press releases at governor.nebraska.gov.

There is a statewide coronavirus (COVID-19) information line to help answer general questions and share the latest information and resources with Nebraskans. Keep informed by calling (402) 552-6645; hours of operation are 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. CST, 7 days a week.

For more information on COVID-19 in southwest Nebraska, visit swhealth.ne.gov. You can also follow SWNPHD on Facebook and Twitter.

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