Nebraska

Carry-out, drive-through and delivery only, alcohol carry-out only, in the Omaha metro from Mar. 19, 2020 and statewide by Apr. 3 (NE-002, NE-008; EO 20-06 and 20-09 authorized to-go alcohol and drive-through sales, NE-045, NE-048); Phase I from May 4/May 11: dine-in at 50 percent, seated parties of six, no bar seating, alcohol only with a meal, bars carry-out only (NE-011, NE-077); Phase II June 1: bars reopen at 50 percent seated, six-person parties, no games, no food at bar seating (NE-013); Phase III June 22: 100 percent, eight-person parties, games allowed, buffets prohibited (NE-014); Phase IV Sept. 14: section moved to guidance (NE-015); Oct. 21: patrons must remain seated, eight-person parties (NE-019); Nov. 11: six-foot separation between tables, seated service, masks for patrons playing games (NE-020, NE-021); orange/yellow/blue phases kept seated service and eight-person parties (NE-023); green Jan. 30, 2021: guidance only (NE-026); Lincoln: 100 percent with six-foot separation and masks on employees from July 20, 2020 (NE-079), bars closed in Nov. 2020 and reopened Dec. 18, 2020 at 50 percent with 10:45 p.m. alcohol cutoff (NE-084); all State orders ended May 24, 2021.

Never closed by category; retail and grocery stores were carved out of the gathering definition ('typical office environments, factories, or retail or grocery stores where large numbers of people are present but it is typically unusual for them to be within six feet of one another') but 'directed to use heightened, diligent and effective disinfection of exposed surfaces' (NE-002, NE-008); Omaha (Aug. 11, 2020 - May 25, 2021) and Lincoln (July 20, 2020 - May 21, 2021; Aug. 26 - Dec. 23, 2021) required every retail premises open to the public to require face coverings of all persons five and older and to post signage (NE-072, NE-079, NE-086, NE-080); Lincoln prohibited door-to-door sales (NE-076, NE-079).

Salons, barber shops, massage therapy, tattoo parlors and studios ordered to 'cease providing services to the public' from Apr. 9/10, 2020 (DHM 2020-010, NE-009) through May 3 (Phase I districts) or May 10 (Lincoln-Lancaster, West Central, Three Rivers) (NE-010); Phase I: reopen with the ten-person rule and masks required 'for all staff, practitioners and patrons' (NE-011); Phase II: the greater of 25 patrons or 50 percent, six feet between stations, masks (NE-013); Phase III: 75 percent, masks (NE-014, NE-017); Phase IV: guidance (NE-015); Nov. 11, 2020 - Jan. 29, 2021: masks required for staff and patrons and six-foot separation between customers restored (NE-020, NE-021, NE-023); green: guidance (NE-026); Lincoln local DHMs required masks and six feet between workstations throughout (NE-077, NE-079, NE-086).

Gyms and fitness centers subject to the ten-person gathering prohibition from Mar. 19/Apr. 3, 2020 (NE-002, NE-008); indoor movie theaters, indoor theaters, gentlemen's clubs and bottle clubs ordered closed Apr. 9 - May 31, 2020 (NE-009, NE-010, NE-011); all organized team sports suspended Apr. 10 - May 31, 2020 (NE-009, NE-011); Phase II: gyms the greater of 25 or 50 percent with six feet; limited-contact sports practices June 1, games June 18; contact sports prohibited; the June 1 Statewide Sports Reopening Guidelines 'hereby ordered, and fully incorporated' (NE-013, NE-036); Phase III: gyms 75 percent, indoor gatherings (theaters, arenas, auditoriums, bowling alleys, pools, zoos) 50 percent and outdoor 75 percent not to exceed 10,000, contact sports from July 1, parades, carnivals, midways, dances and beer gardens prohibited (NE-014, NE-017); Phase IV: indoor 75 percent, outdoor 100 percent (NE-037); Oct. 21: indoor 50 percent (NE-019); Nov. 11: indoor 25 percent, eight-person groups, six feet in gyms, masks in bowling alleys and pool halls, youth indoor extracurricular attendance limited to household members (NE-020, NE-021); yellow 50 percent (Dec. 12), blue 75 percent (late Dec.) (NE-091, NE-092); green Jan. 30, 2021: no capacity limit but indoor venues of 500/1,000 or more need an approved plan (NE-026); every 500-plus venue needed local health department plan approval from June 1, 2020 to May 24, 2021.

No lodging ban; hotel meeting rooms, banquet halls and conference rooms were 'large event conference room[s]' and 'meeting hall[s]' within the gathering definition (ten-person prohibition Mar. 19 - May 31, 2020; 25/25 percent June; 50 percent June 22; 75 percent Sept. 14; 50 percent Oct. 21; 25 percent Nov. 11; 50/75 percent Dec.; plan approvals for 500/1,000 or more through May 24, 2021) (NE-002, NE-013, NE-014, NE-019, NE-021, NE-026); in-room dining under restaurant rules (DHHS restaurant and in-room dining reopening guidelines, NE-097); the 14-day quarantine on every person entering Nebraska from an international point of origin June 1 - Sept. 13, 2020 (NE-013, NE-017).

No Nebraska instrument mandated telework for private employers; every State DHM excluded 'typical office environments, factories, or retail or grocery stores' from the gathering definition while directing heightened disinfection (NE-002, NE-008), and the Nov. 11, 2020 mask requirement reached 'any other indoor businesses where staff and patrons are within six (6) feet of each other for fifteen (15) consecutive minutes or more' (NE-021); the State's own workforce: EO 20-02 (Mar. 16, 2020) suspended all executive-branch out-of-state travel until rescinded July 7, 2020 (NE-041, NE-059); EO 20-03/20-24/20-34/20-36/21-02 let every public body meet by videoconference (Mar. 17, 2020 - Apr. 30, 2021) (NE-042, NE-060, NE-061, NE-064); EO 21-05 (May 24, 2021) ordered 'All teammates immediately return to in-person working' and barred mask requirements in State buildings, evidencing the State's remote posture until then (NE-065); Omaha and Lincoln mask rules applied to 'entities that employ or engage workers, including private-sector entities' with an exception for persons alone in an office or cubicle (NE-072, NE-079).

Never closed; factories excluded from the gathering definition but 'directed to use heightened, diligent and effective disinfection' (NE-002, NE-008); the quarantine and isolation orders on positives, symptomatic persons, household members and close contacts (Mar. 25, 2020 - May 24, 2021) removed workers from plants for 10 to 14 days (NE-003, NE-013, NE-021, NE-028); employer congregate-housing rules required daily 'verbal screening and temperature checks' and separate housing for positives and close contacts (NE-013, NE-021); EO 20-29 recited that 'Nebraska businesses were primarily closed or were experiencing reduced onsite staffing which reduced travel and transport needs of Nebraskans during March, April, May, and June' 2020 (NE-057).

Never closed; construction sites fall outside the gathering definition's enumerated venues; job-site meetings of more than ten persons were gatherings under the ten-person prohibition (Mar. 19 - May 31, 2020) and later percentage caps; permit and inspection offices operated under EO 20-03 remote-meeting waivers; county offices 'had mostly been closed during March, April, and May' 2020 (EO 20-30 recital, NE-058); employer congregate-housing screening rules from June 1, 2020 to May 24, 2021 reached crews housed by the employer (NE-013, NE-021, NE-028).

EO 20-13 (Apr. 1, 2020) made online notarization operative immediately because 'a notary and a principal must be physically present together... including real estate closing papers, bank loans' (NE-051), rescinded June 1, 2021 (NE-066); EO 20-07 (Mar. 25 - May 31, 2020) deferred eviction trials for tenants who lost income or missed work because a school or child-care facility closed (NE-046); county recorder and treasurer offices closed March-May 2020 (EO 20-30 recital, NE-058); open houses were gatherings subject to the ten-person and percentage caps; Omaha and Lincoln mask rules applied to showings in premises open to the public.

Hospital bed-reserve conditions on elective procedures Apr. 3, 2020 - Jan. 29, 2021 as above; EO 20-12 (Mar. 31, 2020) waived critical-access-hospital stay and bed limits, ASC same-day rules, license renewals, plan approvals and bed caps 'insofar as additional beds are available' and directed telehealth guidance, in force to Aug. 27, 2021 (NE-050); DHHS long-term care guidance of Mar. 31, 2020 directed facilities to 'Restrict all visitation except for certain compassionate care situations' and 'Discontinue communal dining and group activities' (NE-030); Nov. 11, 2020 DHM 10-percent reserve and Capacity Expansion Plans (NE-021); July 14, 2021 assisted-living masking guidance reciting the CMS nursing-home mask requirement (NE-032); EO 21-12 (Aug. 26, 2021) suspended nurse-aide, medication-aide and dining-assistant training rules and out-of-state credential requirements to Dec. 31, 2021 (NE-068).

'Elective surgeries and elective procedures are hereby prohibited' from Mar. 25, 2020 (NE-003, NE-004, NE-005), and 'Elective medical and dental surgeries and elective medical and dental procedures are hereby prohibited' statewide from Apr. 3, 2020 (NE-008); resumption from May 4, 2020 only if hospitals 'maintain and dedicate 30% of general bed capacity, 30% of ICU bed capacity, and 30% of ventilator capacity' and a two-week PPE supply (NE-010, NE-011); 15 percent from June 1 (NE-013); restrictions removed June 22 (NE-014); Oct. 21: 10 percent reserve condition (NE-019); Nov. 11: 10 percent of staffed general and ICU beds, no transfers to create capacity, or an approved Capacity Expansion Plan (NE-021); Nov. 16: inpatient elective surgeries that could wait four weeks paused (orange: Class D and E; red: C, D and E) (NE-022, NE-023, NE-090); Dec. 12: allowed with 10 percent reserve (NE-091); green: no restriction (NE-023); EO 20-10 and 20-12 waivers to July 30/Aug. 27, 2021 (NE-049, NE-050); EO 21-12 hospital capacity emergency Aug. 26, 2021 (NE-068).

DHM 2020-008 (Apr. 1, 2020) and 2020-009 (Apr. 3, 2020): 'All schools; public, private and parochial: are hereby ordered to cease all in-person instruction, and all extra-curricular activities except for: remote learning, child care services, meal distribution, distribution of educational materials and supplies, general building or physical plant operations and maintenance, and residential services' through May 31, 2020 (NE-007, NE-008; carried in NE-010, NE-011); team sports suspended to May 31; fall 2020 reopening left to districts with DHM fan-attendance limits (Phase III gathering caps; Nov. 11: household members only) and school-aged isolation and quarantine orders in every DHM through May 24, 2021 (NE-021, NE-028); EO 20-20 waived assessments; 2021-22: no State mask or quarantine order; Lincoln Public Schools required masks PreK-6 from Aug. 9, 2021 (NE-109) and the Lincoln-Lancaster DHM of Aug. 26, 2021 covered schools; the Omaha mask ordinance had applied to 'educational institutions and daycare facilities' Aug. 11, 2020 - May 25, 2021 (NE-072).

Ten children per room from March 2020 (EO 20-08 recital; LLCHD DHM 2020-02) (NE-047, NE-076); Phase I: 'may not exceed the lessor of the current license limit or 15 children per room/space' (NE-011); Phase III: 15/20/24/30 per room by age (NE-014, NE-017); Phase IV: guidance (NE-015); Nov. 11, 2020: staff within six feet of children for fifteen minutes must wear masks (NE-021, NE-023); green: guidance (NE-026); EO 20-08 (Mar. 26, 2020) and EO 20-18 (Apr. 15, 2020) waived licensing rules for temporary child care, in force to July 30, 2021 (NE-047, NE-053, NE-067); Omaha and Lincoln mask rules applied to daycare facilities (NE-072, NE-079).

Weddings, funerals, concerts, festivals, parades and every convening of more than ten patrons prohibited from Mar. 19/Apr. 3, 2020 (NE-002, NE-008); Phase I (May 4): religious services allowed 'limited to the ceremony or service only' with six feet between household units and no shared items (NE-011); Phase II: gatherings the greater of 25 or 25 percent (max 3,000), wedding and funeral receptions the greater of 25 or 50 percent with six-person parties and no dancing (NE-013); Phase III: indoor 50 percent/outdoor 75 percent (max 10,000), receptions with eight-person parties, dances prohibited (NE-014); Phase IV: 75 percent indoor (NE-037); Oct. 21: 50 percent (NE-019); Nov. 11: 25 percent indoor, churches six feet between household units with no occupancy cap, receptions parties of eight and dancing only at tables (NE-020, NE-021); orange through blue as NE-023; green Jan. 30, 2021 (NE-026); Lincoln local caps stricter throughout 2020 (NE-079, NE-086).

Courts of law were expressly carved out of every DHM gathering definition (NE-002); Lincoln DHMs required face coverings in the Hall of Justice from June 1, 2020 (NE-078, NE-079); EO 20-03 (Mar. 17, 2020 - May 31, 2020), 20-24, 20-34 (to Dec. 31, 2020), 20-36 (Dec. 1, 2020 - Jan. 31, 2021) and 21-02 (to Apr. 30, 2021) waived open-meeting requirements so public bodies met electronically (NE-042, NE-060, NE-061, NE-064); DMV: EO 20-05 (Mar. 19, 2020) extended every title, registration, driver license and CDL expiring on or after Mar. 1, 2020 because 'counties have continued to close local offices,' EO 20-25 for drivers 72 and older, EO 20-30 (July 2, 2020) required renewal by Aug. 31, 2020 reciting that county offices 'had mostly been closed during March, April, and May' (NE-044, NE-055, NE-058); EO 20-16 elections (NE-052).

No interstate travel-quarantine order; Governor's Mar. 24, 2020 request that travelers from outbreak areas self-quarantine was a recommendation (NE-098 source); the Phase II and III DHMs ordered that 'Every individual who enters the State of Nebraska as the final destination from any international point of origin... shall home-quarantine... for a period of no less than fourteen (14) days' June 1 - Sept. 13, 2020 (NE-013, NE-017); EO 20-02 suspended all executive-branch out-of-state travel Mar. 16 - July 7, 2020 (NE-041, NE-059); EO 20-01 and 20-21 waived motor-carrier hours and weight limits for relief hauling (NE-040, NE-054); EO 20-29 TNC waiver (NE-057); isolation and quarantine orders on positives, symptomatic persons, household members and close contacts in every DHM Mar. 25, 2020 - May 24, 2021 (NE-003 to NE-028).

No statewide general mask order. Sector mask orders: salon, barber, massage and tattoo staff and patrons from May 4, 2020 through Jan. 29, 2021 (NE-011, NE-013, NE-017, NE-021); Nov. 11, 2020 - Jan. 29, 2021: also bowling alleys, pool halls, body art and 'any other indoor businesses where staff and patrons are within six (6) feet of each other for fifteen (15) consecutive minutes,' bar patrons playing games, child-care staff, public-facing restaurant staff in the red phase (NE-020, NE-021, NE-023). Local general mask orders: Lincoln-Lancaster County DHM 2020-07 from July 20, 2020 (everyone five and older indoors in premises open to the public unless six feet maintained), continued by 2020-09 and successors, lifted May 21, 2021 (NE-079, NE-086, NE-108); Omaha Emergency Ordinance 42309 from Aug. 11, 2020 (everyone five and older indoors in premises open to the public; misdemeanor fine up to $100 per offense; nuisance abatement), extended to Oct. 20, 2020, Feb. 23, 2021 and May 25, 2021 (NE-072 to NE-075); Lincoln-Lancaster County DHM for everyone two and older, Aug. 26 - Dec. 23, 2021 (NE-080 to NE-082, NE-106, NE-107); Lincoln Public Schools PreK-6 from Aug. 9, 2021 (NE-109); EO 21-05 (May 24, 2021) barred State agencies from requiring masks (NE-065).

None issued by Nebraska for health-care workers, State employees or the public in 2020-2021; the State's vaccine instruments were allocation and provider directives inside the DHMs (Mar. 16 - Apr. 30, 2021: providers must use the State registration system by Apr. 1; Federal Retail Pharmacy partners limited to 65-plus, health-care and critical-infrastructure workers, then 50-plus) (NE-028) and EO 21-01 (Jan. 7, 2021) suspending the pharmacist-technician supervision ratio to expand vaccinators (NE-063); the DHMs of Jan. 30, 2021 onward exempted fully vaccinated persons from quarantine (NE-093, NE-094).