OMAHA, Neb. (AP) - Police in Omaha handed out 20 citations for trespassing in city parks over the weekend, just days after the mayor ordered all city parks closed amid complaints they were too crowded.
The tickets were issued Saturday and Sunday, with the largest share - eight citations - being handed out in northeastern Omaha's Hummel Park, police said. Two people also were cited on the Bob Kerrey Pedestrian Bridge that links Omaha to Council Bluffs, Iowa, over the Missouri River.
The others were handed out in Adams, Levi Carter, Miller, Memorial and Robert's parks, police said.
On Wednesday, Mayor Jean Stothert ordered all of the city's parks closed through April 30, with Stothert noting the worst offenders were youth sports coaches and parents with children. Her order also came a day after a gathering of about 100 people in Omaha's Benson Park for a barbecue ended in a fatal shooting.
The citations came as more COVID-19 cases were reported in the state, including the first cases in Dakota County in northeastern Nebraska.
For most people, the new coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough that clear up in two to three weeks. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia, and death.