LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) - The governor has ordered Nebraska schools to remain closed to students through May 31 as officials reported that the state's COVID-19 death toll has risen to five.
Students have been taking their lessons at home via online classes since schools began closing last month as the coronavirus pandemic spread through Nebraska. Gov. Pete Ricketts' order, issued Wednesday, ensures the children won't be returning this school year to the close quarters of their classrooms.
The governor also canceled school extracurricular activities but said the closures don't apply to staff members working in school buildings.
The Nebraska Health and Human Services Department reported Wednesday night that the latest COVID-19 death was a Madison County woman in her 70s who had underlying health conditions.
The state's total number of confirmed cases has risen to 214, the department said. Nearly 3,600 people have tested negative.
For most people, COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus, causes mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough that clear up in two to three weeks. Older adults and people with existing health problems are among those particularly susceptible to more severe illness, including pneumonia.
Earlier Wednesday, Ricketts warned Nebraskans that they must help keep COVID-19 from spreading, but he reiterated that he won't impose a stay-at-home order as many other states have done.
It appears social distancing rules are preventing even larger case increases, Ricketts said, but "we have to do more" to avoid overloading the state's hospitals.
Statewide, officials have urged residents not to have any social gathering larger than 10 people, but that request isn't legally enforceable.
However, Ricketts has ordered more restrictive "directed health measures" to dozens of Nebraska's 93 counties, including 15 more he added Wednesday. The directed health measures impose the same 10-person limit, but people who refuse to comply can be charged with misdemeanors. The orders also require restaurants and bars in those areas to close their dining areas, but they can still offer takeout and delivery.