Local health departments send unified message on mask mandates
Nebraska’s local health department directors are calling for universal masking and increased compliance from the public as the pandemic worsens.
By News Channel Nebraska
Nebraska’s local health department directors are calling for universal masking and increased compliance from the public as the pandemic worsens.
The directors of all 19 health departments participated in a virtual press conference on Monday as part of Public Health Thank You Day. Central District Health Department Director Teresa Anderson says all of the directors are in favor of a statewide mask mandate.
“Right now, we’re all about the masks. We know that masks work," Anderson said. "We’re all unified in saying that masks work and that universal masking is really the only way to assure that everyone is wearing their mask as they should be.”
Dr. Brady Beecham is a family medicine doctor in Lexington and serves on the local health department’s board of health. She says the virus is no longer isolated to certain areas, it’s something all Nebraskans are dealing with. Beecham believes Nebraskans can move past any political backlash that comes from a statewide mask mandate.
“We faced this same question locally when we started to talk about mask mandates within schools," Beecham said. "We were concerned about backlash, we wondered if we really needed a mandate. In retrospect, we think it’s one of the strongest actions we’ve taken.”
Gov. Pete Ricketts has repeatedly said he does not plan to institute a mandate. He says that mandates breed resistance and that masks are just one of the tools for preventing the spread of COVID-19.