LINCOLN - State government officials have teamed up with the University of Nebraska as the number of Nebraskans impacted by the coronavirus continues to rise.

Pete Ricketts announced Thursday that nearly 2,100 beds will be made available on the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Omaha, and Kearney campuses for quarantining purposes during the COVID-19 pandemic.

"We believe this is one of the ways that we will be able to accommodate people have difficulty quarantining at home, and then also be able to make sure that we can free up hospital space for the more acute needs of people while putting people into a site that they can continue to convalesce," Ricketts explained.

Ricketts added that the contract with the University includes food and janitorial services. The staffing portion of the agreement is still being finalized.