OMAHA, Neb. (KMTV) — Omaha Mayor Jean Stothert and other officials gave their weekly updates on how Douglas County is doing when it comes to COVID-19.
This week, Douglas County Health Director Dr. Adi Pour said she was saddened to announce the county has reached the 200 mark when it came to positive cases. It was also announced that four people within the Omaha Fire Department have tested positive for the virus.
At the beginning of the briefing, the mayor talked about her decision, on Wednesday, to shut down all city parks. She said there have been 72 checks by police for violations but no tickets have been issued yet.
Stothert said closing down parks was a tough decision to make but one that had to be made because people were not complying with the ten and under rule.
One of Friday's topics was the May 12 elections. The mayor said there are about 355,000 registered voters in the city and 100,000 have already requested mail-in ballots. Election Commission Brian Kruse said that’s exactly the direction we need to be going in.
"I want everybody to vote in this election and have their voice heard for our democracy but I want everybody to do it by mail this time," he said.
Pour said the peak of the virus is expected at the end of April so it’s vital for people to stay indoors and practice social distancing guidelines.