OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Mask mandates are expiring in several of the state’s largest cities as more people continue to get vaccinated for the coronavirus.
Lincoln’s mask mandate will expire at the end of Thursday, Omaha’s will disappear at the end of next Tuesday and in the Omaha suburbs, Ralston ended its mandate earlier this week, the Omaha World-Herald reports.
The state has seen infection rates come down as vaccinations have become ore widely available.
“Overall, we’ve been winning the race between infections and injections,” Lincoln-Lancaster County Health Director Pat Lopez said.
The end to several mask mandates in Nebraska comes after the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention eased its mask-wearing guidance for people who have been fully vaccinated, allowing them to stop wearing masks in many settings.
The seven-day rolling average of daily new cases in Nebraska decreased over the past two weeks, going from 198.71 new cases per day on May 3 to 100.14 new cases per day on Monday.
In another sign that coronavirus infections are going down, the state said the number of people hospitalized with the virus in the state slipped below 100 over the past week and hit 91 on Wednesday.
Nebraska health officials also said that 52.4% of the state’s population over 16 has now been fully vaccinated.
