OMAHA, Neb. (AP) - Nebraska further relaxed the state's social distancing restrictions because the number of people hospitalized with the coronavirus has continued to decline.
Gov. Pete Ricketts said Wednesday that the rules would be eased because less than 15% of the state's hospital beds have been occupied by virus patients over the past week, on average.
The new rules that take effect Thursday will allow indoor gatherings up to 75% of a building's capacity, up from 50% now, and rules requiring people to sit in groups of no more than eight people and remain seated at bars and restaurants most of the time will be eliminated in favor of recommendations. The restrictions on elective surgeries will also be lifted.
The state's chief medical officer, Dr. Gary Anthone, said it's important that Nebraskans continue to wear masks and avoid crowded places to continue limiting the virus' spread.
"COVID-19 hospitalizations have continued to come down and we want to keep that trend going," Anthone said. "That's why it is still important to limit our interactions and to be diligent about preventing the spread of COVID-19, especially over the holidays."
The state said the number of people being treated in hospitals declined again Tuesday to 566 from the previous day's 582. That total remains well below the record of 987 set on Nov. 20 but it remains high compared to Oct. 1 when 227 people were hospitalized.
Nebraska reported 1,221 new virus cases and 10 deaths Tuesday to give the state 158,324 cases and 1,521 deaths since the pandemic began.
The state has gone from having the fifth-highest rate of new virus cases in the nation early this month to ranking 31st Tuesday, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.
The seven-day rolling average of daily new cases in Nebraska decreased over the past two weeks, going from 1,817.14 new cases per day on Dec. 8 to 1,108.43 new cases per day on Tuesday.