Omaha City Council Passes Emergency Mask Mandate Through 9/15

OMAHA – Omaha’s city council has approved an emergency mask mandate in indoor public places to prevent the coronavirus from spreading. The measure passed 7-0 on Tuesday after four hours of testimony from a divided public.
The mask mandate takes effect immediately.
The proposal had received support from many of the city’s biggest companies, including Union Pacific, TD Ameritrade, Mutual of Omaha and First National Bank.
The ordinance requires masks to be worn by all persons age 5 and older, in all shared or public indoor places such as schools, businesses and churches. Eating and drinking in restaurants and bars, exercising in gyms and visiting government offices will be excluded, so long as 6 feet of distance is maintained between persons.
The mandate runs through September 15.
The mandate does not apply to people with medical conditions or disabilities that make wearing a mask unreasonable. Those who cannot comply with the mask mandate are encouraged to use take out, curbside and drive thru options at area businesses and to maintain six feet of distance from others at all times when in public or shared indoor spaces.
Governor Pete Ricketts said earlier this month that the state of Nebraska would take legal action if a mask mandate were issued for Omaha through the health department. “You’re now making it a crime that somebody is not wearing a mask and that heavy handed government is not the best approach. I believe [in] getting people to adopt using masks as part of their everyday life,” Ricketts explained.
No word as to what legal action can be taken now, as the mask mandate was approved by the Omaha City Council, and not an edict from the Douglas County Health Department.