LINCOLN – Governor Pete Ricketts and industry experts talked about best practices to resume elective surgeries at dental offices and dining in restaurants as the state approaches May 4th – the date when some cornavirus restrictions will be relaxed in some parts of the state.
Dental facilities with sufficient personal protective equipment (PPE) can resume operations throughout Nebraska as of Monday, May 4th. In ten of Nebraska’s nineteen health department districts, restaurants will be able to partially reopen their dining areas on May 4th.
Restaurants:
Zoe Olson, Executive Director of the Nebraska Restaurant Association, joined the governor to overview the safety precautions restaurants will be taking as they reengage guests at dine-in establishments.
Beginning May 4th in the Douglas County Health Department district, Sarpy-Cass Department of Health, East Central District, Four Corners Health Department, Loup Basin Public Health Department, North Central District, Northeast Nebraska Public Health Department, Panhandle District Public Health Department, Southeast District Public Health Department, Southwest Public Health Department, the new Directed Health Measures will require the following for dine-in restaurants:
- Seating will be limited to 50% of a restaurant’s maximum occupancy rating.
- Each dining party must maintain a minimum of six feet of separation from other dining parties.
- Each dining party will be limited to six persons. Groups larger than six will need to be seated at separate tables, six feet away.
- Self-serve buffets and salad bars are prohibited. Restaurant staff must serve food directly to customers or implement buffet orders from the customer table. No customer self-service is permitted.
- Each dining party must be seated at its own table. Bar and counter seating are not permitted.
- Patrons may only consume alcohol on the premises if also consuming a meal.
The State of Nebraska has also unveiled new guidance for restaurants. It is available in its full text by clicking here.
Among other things, this guidance directs all restaurant workers to wear cloth masks. It also suggests limiting the number of roles a worker fills in the restaurant, aggressive disinfection procedures, and says that restaurants should pre-screen workers for fever and symptoms before allowing them to begin their shift.
“Dining rooms won’t reopen statewide on May 4th,” stressed Executive Director of the Nebraska Restaurant Association, “They will reopen on a regional basis.”
“Together with our members, the National Restaurant Association, and subject matter experts, we’ve developed guidance for restaurants as they reopen their seating areas,” Olson said.
The Nebraska Restaurant Association (https://www.nebraska-dining.org/) will be posting the reopening guidelines in restaurants for diners to view. The association will also post the reopening requirements issued by the State of Nebraska.
“Additionally,” said Olson, “We encourage Nebraskans to avoid dining if they have any symptoms of illness. We’re doing everything in our power to make restaurants the safest environments possible for customers.”
Dental:
Also joining the Governor was Dr. Charles “Fritz” Craft, Director of Dental Health for the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), and Dr. Ken Tusha, past president of the Nebraska Dental Association.
“As the dental profession prepares to resume elective surgeries,” said Craft, “the DHHS Office of Oral Health, the Nebraska Board of Dentistry, and the Nebraska Dental Association (NDA) have been in constant communication.”
Using information from the American Dental Association, the Centers for Disease Control, and the Centers for Medicaid and Medicare, dental services will proceed with safety precautions for patients, dental staff, and providers.
The NDA has been working hard to produce interim guidelines and recommendations for dental offices. Their final report has been reviewed by DHHS and the Board of Dentistry. It will be a living document with ongoing revisions as more becomes known about COVID-19.
As dental services resume, there will be enhanced patient screening, elevated PPE, higher levels of infection control, and limitations on certain procedures. The decision to reopen or remain closed is up to each dental practice.
The new guidelines produced by the NDA will assist providers in making this decision. The NDA’s Recommended Office Opening Protocols can be accessed by any member of the public at nedental.org.
“Dentistry probably won’t come back on like a light switch,” said Dr. Ken Tusha, “It will be more like a dimmer switch. We’re going to slowly open our offices after we’ve trained our whole team in the new protocols.”
The new guidelines include training, health screening of teammates, and health screening of patients as they come in. Offices will also be taking steps to eliminate person-to-person interactions in waiting rooms, enhance disinfection procedures and will be required to make sure everyone has the proper PPE.
“I’m confident we have the guidelines in place to operate safely,” said Tusha.
Test Nebraska:
Ricketts also reminded Nebraskans to register at TestNebraska.com as soon as they can. Nebraskans have completed about 100,000 health assessments as of Tuesday morning. “We need every Nebraskan to go to TestNebraska.com right now and to fill out this quick assessment,” said Ricketts.
Scheduling for the first two Test Nebraska testing sites, which will be in Grand Island and Omaha, will begin soon.
“We need people not just in these cities, but in the surrounding areas, to take the assessment now,” said Ricketts. “We will begin contacting folks to schedule testing in the near future.”
