LINCOLN, Nebraska - Governor Pete Ricketts says travelers returning from overseas trips must self-quarantine for 14 days. During his COVID-19 coronavirus briefing Tuesday, Ricketts says domestic travelers who went to areas known to be widespread with the virus must also self-quarantine when they return home. That includes San Francisco, Seattle, Chicago, New York, Kansas City and Denver. This does not apply to commuters between state lines or for those in the trucking industry.
Starting Tuesday, Nebraska will also be able to test more people for COVID-19 coronavirus by pooling samples. Between the two state labs and private labs, up to 300 virus tests could be completed in a day. Yesterday, Nebraska received 100 tests back from private labs. Ricketts says the bad news is that as more people are tested the number of positive cases will continue to rise.
Bryan Medical Center in Lincoln is doing their part as well. They are in the process of replacing 34 anesthesia machines when CEO Russ Gronewold says, "Our director of surgery said these actually have a ventilator-like capacity built into them. What if we kept them and converted them over?". Gronewold says it took minimal work to convert the anesthesia machines into ventilators. The hospital now has more than 100 ventilators available in case there is a large outbreak and one machine can assist several people at one time.