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ESSENTIAL WORKER THAT CAN LEAVE TO GO TO THEIR JOB AND WHO SHOULD STAY HOME. GOVERNOR PETE RICKETTS SAYS THE STATEWIDE DIRECTED HEALTH MEASURE HE ISSUED FRIDAY IS SIMILAR TO A STAY-AT-HOME ORDER IN OTHER MIDWESTERN STATES AND IN SOME CASES, HE SAYS, MORE RESTRICTIV GOV. RICKETTS: LIKE IN DOUGLAS COUNTY, WHERE SALONS ARE CLOSED. I ACTUALLY BELIEVE ARIZONA DOESN’T CLOSE SALONS. BUT IN GENERAL, THEY’RE VERY, VERY SIMILAR, AND THEY ACCOMPLISH THE SAME ENDS, WHICH IS TO GET PEOPLE TO REALLY PAY ATTENTION TO STAY HOME, ST HEALTHY, AND STAY CONNECTED. JOSE: BUT THERE ARE DIFFERENCES. HERE IN NEBRASKA, TRADITIONAL OFFICES, SHOPPING MALLS, SMA STORES, AND GOLF COURSES DO NOT HAVE TO CLOSE UNDER THE STATE’S DIRECTED HEALTH MEASURE, FOR EXAMPLE. IN KANSAS, THE STAY-AT-HOME ORDER ALLOWS BUSINESSES LIKE GROCERY STORES, SOME TRANSPORTATION AND INFRASTRUCTURE JOBS, PUBLIC SAFETY, HEALTHCARE, AND MEDIA OUTLETS TO OPERATE OVER THE WEEKEND, MINNESOTA GOVERNOR TIM WALZ SAID HE’S WORRIED THREE OF HIS NEIGHBORI STATES, INCLUDING IOWA, HAVE NOT ISSUED THE ORDER. HE BELIEVES IT’S SAVED LIVES IN HIS STATE -- IN HIS STATE. WHILE ASKING IOWANS TO STAY HOME, IOWA GOVERNOR KIM REYNOLDS ALSO OFFERS HER THOUGHTS ON HOW MANY WORKERS IN HER STATE SHOULD MOVE UNINTERRUPTED GOV. REYNOLDS: AS I SAID LAST WEEK, ALMOST 80% OF OUR WORK FORCE IS ESSENTIAL WORKERS, THEY’RE GOING TO CONTINUE TO TRAVEL. SO THE REST OF US NEED TO BE AS RESPONSIBLE AS WE CAN, AND WE NEED TO PRACTICE WHAT WE’RE ASKING YOU TO DO, AND THAT IS STAY HOME AS MUCH AS YOU CAN JOSE NEBRASKA PUBLIC SERVICE COMMISSIONER, CRYSTAL RHOADES, POINTS TO STORES AND STREETS STILL FILLED WITH TRAFFIC AS A SIGN GOVERNORS MUST PHYSICALLY ORDER FOLKS TO STAY HOME >> WE DO NOT HAVE SUFFICIENT TESTING IN ANY COMMUNITY IN NEBRASKA, AND UNTIL WE DO, WE NEED TO BE VERY CLEAR TH PEOPLE NEED TO GO HOME AND STAY HOME, BECAUSE OTHERWISE, THIS VIRUS IS GOING TO CONTINUE T SPREAD, AND IT IS GOING TO CONTINUE TO TAKE LIVES JOSE UNDER THE STATEWIDE DIRECTED HEALTH MEASURE, GOVERNOR RICKETTS POINTS OUT THERE’S NOT ENOUGH POLICE OR STATE PATROL OR TROOPERS TO GO AROUND CHECKING IF EVERYONE IS ACTUALLY COMPLYING. SO HE SAYS EVERYONE MUST DO THEIR PART TO SOCIAL DISTANCE AND LIMIT TRIPS TO ESSENTIAL STORES, ON TOP O THAT, WORK FROM HOME IF POSSI

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Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds stopped short of issuing a stay-at-home order in her news conference Monday morning.Iowa and Nebraska remain two of the few states that have not issued one. The list of Midwest states with such an order includes neighboring Kansas, Minnesota and Missouri.Yet, a key difference those states have that Nebraska and Iowa do not: specific instructions that narrow down who is an essential worker that can leave to go to their job and who should stay home.During his Monday news conference, Nebraska Gov. Pete Ricketts said the statewide directed health measure he issued Friday is similar to a stay-at-home order in other states, and in some cases, he said, more restrictive."Like in Douglas County, where salons are closed. I actually believe Arizona doesn't close salons. In general, they're very similar and they accomplish the same ends, which is to get people to really pay attention to stay home, stay healthy and stay connected," Ricketts said.And yet, the differences exist. In Nebraska, traditional offices, shopping malls, small stores and golf courses do not have to close under the state's directed health measure, even though some have already shut down voluntarily.Whereas in Kansas, its stay-at-home order only allows businesses like grocery stores, some transportation and infrastructure jobs, public safety, healthcare and media outlets to operate.Over the weekend, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz said he's worried three of his neighboring states — North Dakota, South Dakota and Iowa, have not issued the order. Walz said he believes it has saved lives in his state. On Monday, Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation's top infectious disease doctor, said that, despite no stay-at-home or shelter-in-place orders in both Iowa or Nebraska, the two states are on the same page with him."I had good conversations with (Gov. Ricketts) and (Gov. Reynolds) and it's interesting that functionally, even though they have not given a strict stay-at-home, what they are doing is really functionally equivalent to that," Fauci said.While imploring Iowans to stay home, Gov. Reynolds also offered her thoughts on how many workers in her state she believes should continue moving uninterrupted."As I said last week, almost 80% of our work force is essential workers so they're going to continue to travel. So, the rest of us need to be as responsible as we can and we need to practice what we're asking you to do, and that is stay home as much as you can," Reynolds said.Back in Nebraska, state public service commissioner Crystal Rhoades pointed to stores and streets filled with traffic as a sign governors must physically order folks to stay home. Rhoades and several other elected officials recently sent a letter to Gov. Ricketts, Omaha Mayor Jean Stothert and Douglas County Health Director Dr. Adi Pour, to implement a stay-at-home order. The signers cited the shortage of personal protective equipment (PPE) and COVID-19 tests as more catalysts to issues a stay-at-home order."We do not have sufficient testing in any community in Nebraska, and until we do, we need to be very clear that people need to go home and stay home. Because otherwise, this virus is going to continue to spread and it is going to continue to take lives," Rhoades said.As some families struggle to maintain life as normal while they're out of work, Rhoades said the Nebraska Public Service Commission recently allotted $1 million to fund its Broadband Adoption Program. Rhoades said telecommunication carriers like Cox and CenturyLink can access the funds statewide. The funds would reimburse companies which provide "free or reduced broadband services to low- income consumers where needed to facilitate online learning."For read the full NPSC order, click here.