Face masks and coverings will be required in Omaha for a while longer.
On Tuesday, the Omaha City Council voted 5-2 to extend the city's mask mandate until October 20th. The original ordinance, put in place on August 11th, was set to expire on September 15th.
Six News reports that the council asked Douglas County Health Director Dr. Adi Pour for guidance on what benchmarks the city should look for when considering an end to the face mask ordinance. Pour gave two:
- a positivity rate of less than 5%
- new case numbers at 10 per day per million
Masks are required for anyone five years or older while they're in public, but there are exemptions to the ordinance including while eating or drinking while seated at a bar or restaurant, exercising, working in a room alone or while seeking state or county government services. Those with health issues that make wearing a mask dangerous to their health are also exempt from wearing a mask.