Lancaster County Commissioner Matt Schulte says the COVID-19 pandemic has long been over and at Tuesday’s board meeting he will introduce a motion calling for the countywide COVID emergency declaration to come to an end.
“The State of Nebraska ended their COVID emergency declaration in June of 2021, 20 months ago the state ended it but we in Lancaster County and the City of Lincoln have maintained a COVID emergency declaration.”
He says the vast majority of regulations have been lifted for months and masking requirements have been gone from public venues for nearly a year. Shulte says while he doesn’t expect the majority of the board members to agree with ending the declaration, “the people of the Lancaster County have made it clear to me they want to see it’s termination.”
“COVID-19 was a serious disease that negatively impacted so many lives, and mine included,” Schulte says. “But the major threat to the general population is over, and I just feel like it’s time to move forward by ending the COVID emergency declaration.”