LINCOLN – The State of Nebraska surpassed 12,300 positive COVID-19 cases over the holiday weekend, with State officials also announcing the 150th death caused by the pandemic virus.
11th Corrections Employee Tests Positive
State officials say another Nebraska prisons employee has tested positive for COVID-19. The Nebraska Department of Correctional Services says in a news release that a staff member at the Lincoln Correctional Center tested positive for the virus and is self-isolating at home. The department says it will be notifying employees and inmates at the facility of the development and is directing anyone who had close contact with the staffer to self-quarantine until the are medically cleared to come out of quarantine.
The staffer is the 11th state prisons employee to test positive for the virus. Multiple inmates have also tested positive at the state penitentiary.
8th Death at Life Care Center in Elkhorn
An eighth resident at a western Omaha nursing home has died from COVID-19, as Nebraska health officials reported three new deaths and 145 news cases of the virus. The Omaha World-Herald reports that the Life Care Center of Elkhorn in Omaha reported its latest death on Sunday, along with news that eight residents of the care center who had previously tested negative for the virus have now tested positive.
Nebraska’s Pandemic Economy
Nebraska’s economy has been severely hampered by the coronavirus outbreak, but the state has fared better than most of the rest of the nation.
The state’s unemployment rate for April registered 8.3%, which remains well below the national rate of 14.7%. Nebraska’s unemployment rate was the third lowest in the country in those latest figures because the state relies heavily on industries that haven’t been affected as much by the virus and related government restrictions, such as food processing and insurance. The state also doesn’t have as many jobs tied to the hard-hit tourism and oil industries.
Grant available for food pantries
Nebraska food pantries can apply for a grant to help purchase refrigerators and freezers to store more perishable items.
The grant program, which will provide up to $4,000 to food pantries, is sponsored by the Alliance for the Future of Agriculture in Nebraska, the state Agriculture Department and several commodity groups. Kris Bousquet with Midwest Dairy says the program will help food pantries expand their ability to store dairy, meat and produce items to hand out to their clients. More details about the grants is available online at www.becomeafan.org. Donations are also being accepted to support the program.
