Successive weeks of coronavirus case declines led local health officials to lower the coronavirus risk dial in Lancaster County on Friday.
But Lincoln Mayor Leirion Gaylor Baird said she will most likely let the local mask mandate continue beyond Aug. 31 even though she has billed it as a temporary restriction.
The mayor and Lincoln-Lancaster County Health Director Pat Lopez say they want to monitor how the return of school and university students to classrooms affects coronavirus transmission in the area.
"We don’t know what the next few weeks could hold," Gaylor Baird said during her regular Friday COVID-19 briefing, "so it’s best to be conservative."
This caution followed positive news arising from the Health Department's decision to lower risk of spread from high to moderate on its risk dial, a first since July 2.
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Lancaster County confirmed 38 new cases Friday.Â
With 33 new cases confirmed Thursday, the past two days have departed from the downward trend of new cases.Â
Lopez and Gaylor Baird have credited the mask mandate with helping deliver three consecutive weeks of lower cases.Â
But residents must remain vigilant about social distancing, regular hygiene and mask-wearing even with the reduced risk, they said.Â
"Our progress can be lost if we let down our guard,†Lopez said.
Lincoln Public Schools Superintendent Steve Joel said although the risk dial was moving into the yellow, school officials will not yet resume full in-person high school instruction.
The district has a week of remote learning under its belt, he said, and schools are safe.
But he wants to avoid a disruption for families and school staff at this early juncture, he said.
Meanwhile, health officials have not discovered any outbreaks yet stemming from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln or other local universities, Lopez said.
The influx of cases the past two days remains under investigation by contact tracers, and health officials hope to have a clearer picture of the cause early next week, she said.
About 25% of the new cases this week have come in the 20-29 age group, she said.Â
Health Department staff hosted a virtual meeting with bar owners Thursday to discuss strategies to mitigate transmission risk, and Lopez said her highlight from the call was when bar owners and operators shared their own best practices in ensuring patrons follow the directed health measures.
With the new cases, Lancaster County's total since the pandemic increased to 3,591, and the death toll remained at 19.
Hospitalizations from COVID-19 in the county stood at 14 on Friday, including four county residents, Lopez said.
Also on Friday, the state reported 31,626 cases and 376 deaths linked to the disease. That's compared to 31,348 cases and 373 deaths reported Thursday.
Sherman County recorded its first death Friday — a person in their 30s with no underlying health conditions.