Health Officials Help Businesses Interpret Looser Restrictions in Madison, Neighboring Counties

May 13, 2020, 5:45 a.m. ·

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As four Nebraska counties see loosened restrictions starting Wednesday, local health leaders are working to sort out which businesses are allowed to re-open.

Burt, Cuming, Stanton and Madison Counties make up the Elkhorn Logan Valley Public Health District in northeastern Nebraska. A new Directed Health Measure from the state allows elective surgeries to resume and some businesses to partially re-open in that district.

Generally, that includes restaurants (but not bars), beauty salons, barber shops, tattoo shops, massage therapy, and other similar businesses.

But Emergency Response Coordinator Melanie Thompson says it’s not always that simple.

"Every situation is going to be different and so it’s our job at the health department to kind of sort through that," Thompson said. "And sometimes we have to give them the bad news that there’s no way that you can operate the way that you plan to under this directed health measure."

Thompson says most businesses are eager to start operating again, even under the restrictions like wearing a mask at beauty salons and similar shops.

Madison County has the bulk of the district’s cases, with an outbreak at the Tyson meatpacking plant.

"There was a lot of pressure from the three rural counties to separate themselves from Madison County so that they could open up sooner," Thompson said. "But the truth is that COVID-19 is everywhere now. And so we just have to assume that it’s a lot more prevalent than what we’re seeing."

Thompson says testing in the area has increased dramatically in recent weeks, but like all health officials, she says they still need more testing.