OMAHA, Neb. (AP) - About 90 people staying at an Omaha homeless shelter have been put in isolation after another guest there tested positive for the coronavirus, according to officials with the Siena Francis House.
The shelter north of downtown Omaha made the move after becoming aware of the positive case on Tuesday, the Omaha World-Herald reported. The unit where the infected man was staying has been deep-cleaned and other common areas of the shelter have been sanitized, said Siena Francis' chief development officer, Chris Knauf.
Shelter guests are now also required to wear masks and have their temperatures taken daily.
"We take the health and safety of our clients very, very seriously," Knauf said.
The development comes as state health officials announced new confirmed cases of the virus and several COVID-19 deaths on Wednesday.
The state's online virus tracker showed 262 cases were confirmed Wednesday, bringing the state's total to nearly 22,000 since the outbreak began. On Tuesday, Nebraska recorded 318 confirmed cases of the virus - the highest daily total since May 29, when 393 were confirmed. Officials say 291 Nebraskans have died from the virus.
Despite the recent uptick, space available in Nebraska hospitals remained stable, according to the tracker, which showed 38% of Nebraska's hospital beds, 38% of the intensive care beds and 80% of the ventilators still available Thursday.