BEATRICE – Some residents are questioning the Beatrice Health Board’s action this week to put in place a mask mandate for all public indoor space in the city, through December 15th.


Chairman of that Board, Mayor Stan Wirth says the action was taken for a simple reason.
"The health board number one priority and the city's number one priority is the health and safety and wellbeing of its citizens that we serve....even those that object to some of the things that we're trying to do. We're still trying to protect them also."


The city has received some feedback from persons challenging the city’s legal authority to enact the mask rule and provide a penalty for non-compliance.
"Sixteen-dash-two-three-eight allows first-class cities to make regulations to prevent the introduction or spread of contagious, infectious and malignant diseases in the city...and that it does carry a penalty."


Wirth says the goal is not to ticket people with a class-three misdemeanor violation, but to increase mask use so that it can be used as a tool to cut into Covid-19 cases that have been exploding in the area in recent weeks.


"What we're looking for is a level of cooperation from the general public. I don't think it is too much to ask to protect your neighbors and friends. I'm going to give you a case in point. Just yesterday, out of the fifteen calls that our rescue department had yesterday, five were Covid positive cases...which is the most in a 24-hour shift. We have had 26 calls so far this month. We had 27 calls all of last month. So, that tells you that the numbers are increasing. And, what we're doing is putting a strain on our hospitals, we're putting a strain on our hospital workers. Hospital workers get infected just like the general public does."


Since enacting the mandate Tuesday, Wirth says most of the feedback the health board and city are getting, has been positive.
"This is an indiscriminate infection that people can get. You can be opposed to it as much as you possibly can be. You indicate you may not get sick until you do. And when you do, somebody needs to take care of you, and they will care for you. But, by the same token, try to help yourself be responsible, try to help your neighbors, try to keep everyone around you as safe as possible."


The mask requirement extends through December 15th. The City of Beatrice has also announced that all city buildings are being closed to the public.


Wirth says a conference call Wednesday with Governor Pete Ricketts, involving numerous local elected officials across the state raised the possibility that the entire state will reach the level of 25-percent of all hospital beds being used for Covid patients, by next week. That would trigger new restrictions for businesses in Nebraska.


The Public Health Solutions District of Gage, Jefferson, Saline, Thayer and Fillmore Counties has already reached what’s described as that code red category.