Dr. Pour: Mask mandate could be coming in next week

Just a few days ago, Mayor Jean Stothert said she doesn’t have the authority to issue a mandate, saying only the health director of Governor Ricketts could issue one.

Well the governor has no interest in it, but Douglas County Health Director Dr. Adi Pour says a mask mandate could be coming as soon as next week.

“I think it is time right now,” says Pour.

Pour says due to rising numbers of COVID-19 cases in the county, she believes the data supports requiring masks when residents are out in public.

“Because what you are doing in public health, you’re about prevention and I don’t want to be at the peak of the mountain,” says Pour.

The legalities of the mandate get complicated. Mayor Stothert says Dr. Pour has the power to issue a mandate now for the city of Omaha, but not necessarily other cities in the county like Bennington, Valley and Waterloo.

“It’s not just a decision that I make, this is a decision we as a community should make, there are other stakeholders in this community that I would like to see, where are they standing on this,” says Pour.

There's also the matter of what Ricketts might do. He has said that he doesn’t want the heavy hand of the government when Nebraskans largely do the right thing. He’s currently exploring legal options to stop Lincoln's mandate.

Dr. Pour says the decision is based on public health.

“For me it’s a public health decision, people make decisions depending on the positions they are in. I don’t make political positions, I only make public health decisions,” says Pour.

Mayor Jean Stothert seems conflicted on the issue. She’s asking all Omaha residents to wear a mask in public and that she trusts Pour’s expertise, but she’s concerned that Omaha Police will have to enforce it.

“That is a fact, we can’t just say we’re going to have an order or a mandate and not enforce it,” says Stothert.

So why might a mandate be needed now? Pour points to hospital occupancy rate, and how it’s steadily risen since March, currently at 84 percent.

“Also know that the hospital data is going to be behind, so what we are seeing today, the cases that we are seeing today, those individuals will be in the hospital three weeks from now,” says Pour.

A few other notes from the presser: Dr. Pour says at the beginning of the pandemic, most of the cases came from minorities, now the majority of cases are coming white residents in the western part of the county.

Pour is also seeing more cases coming from young children and finally on top of all that, there seems to be a shortage of testing supplies that is hurting private labs from doing COVID-19 tests.

Stothert said she does not have the authority to mandate masks in schools, but that decision is up to each superintendent and school board. She added she does have concerns about school starting, but said the ultimate goal is to get kids back in school safely.

Stothert also spoke about funding from the CARES Act, saying Douglas County has $166 million from the act. As of today, there's still no agreement between the city and county, and she wants an answer by the end of July.

She is also looking to get some money from the state, which has over $1 billion. Gov. Ricketts wants her to submit losses to FEMA first. She says that'll take a long time to get money from the feds.

In other news, the mayor has hired Keith Station as Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Manager. This is a new position the mayor budgeted for 2021. He's starting in September.

FEC Environmental, the city's new trash contractor, is taking over for Waste Management in late November, not January 2021. New carts will be coming to your household in the coming weeks and months

Watch the press conference below.