SIGN UP FOR BREAKING NEWS Get local stories sent straight to your inbox as news breaks. Submit Privacy Notice

Woman demonstrating cell phones in several Walmart stores tests positive Share Shares Copy Link Copy

Hide Transcript Show Transcript

KETV NEWS WATCH AT 5:30 STARTS WITH BREAKING NEWS. >> GOOD EVENING. AGAIN, THE BREAKING NEWS, OMAHA IS CONSIDERING BROADER RESTRICTIONS NOW KNOWING THAT A PERSON TESTED POSITIVE FOR COVID-19 ATTENDING EVENTS THROUGHOUT THE CITY LAST WEEK. IT MAY BE TIME FOR FURTHER RESTRICTIONS ON PUBLIC GATHERINGS AND PERHAPS EXTENDED SCHOOL CLOSURES. LET'S TAKE A LOOK AT THE LIST OF PLACES WHERE THESE FOLKS WHO TESTED POSITIVE HAVE BEEN. THEY INCLUDE TWO CREIGHTON GAMES OVER THE PAST WEEK, AND BARS IN THE OLD MARKET LAST SATURDAY. AS STATE HEALTH OFFICIALS POINT OUT, THE FIRST OF THE CASES ARE NEARLY TWO WEEKS OLD, AND NO COVID-19 CASES RELATED TO THEM HAVE SHOWN UP. HERE'S SOME OF THAT LIST. THE WAL-MART AT 120TH AND L ON MARCH 4TH. ALSO ON THE 4TH, THE BUS FROM BARRETT'S ON LEAVENWORTH TO THE CREIGHTON GAME. THE BAR AT 45TH AND CENTER. THE WAL-MART AT 168TH AND WEST MAPLE. THEN MARCH 5TH, THE GET THAT WAL-MART. THE WAL-MART AT 168TH AND WEST MAPLE. AGAIN, MARCH 17TH, AGAIN, THE WAL-MART ON MAPLE. THE OLD MARKET BARS, INCLUDING THE STADIUM CLUB, BARRIOS, THE JACKSON STREET TAVERN, INJURY R JURASSICPLASTIC. MINUTES AGO THE MAYOR SAID THAT ALL OMA PUBLIC LIBRARIES WILL CLOSE TOMORROW. SAINT PATRICK'S DAY AND BEYOND, BARS AND RESTAURANTS LIMITED TO 25 PEOPL WE'RE COVERING THIS FROM THE HEALTH DEPARTMENT. SARAH? >> THE GOVERNOR SAYS ARE PREEMPTIVE STEPS TO STOP THE SPREAD. THE LIST OF EXPOSURES THAT YOU GUYS HAVE MENTIONED IS FOR THOSE TWO POSITIVE CASES OF THE CORONAVIRUS ACROSS DOUGLAS COUNTY, RANGING FROM THE WAL-MART OUT WEST ALL THE WAY DOWNTOWN INTO THE OLD MARKET. THE POLICE DEPARTMENT DID SAY THAT THEY ARE PREPARING, IN CASE THAT BAN DOES GO INTO EFFECT, ON HOW THEY WILL HANDLE MAKING SURE THE BUSINESSES STAY CLOSED, OR IF THEY HAVE TO MAKING SURE THE BUSINESSES ARE COMPLIANT WITH THE BAN. THEY EXPECT TO HAVE AN ANNOUNCEMENT ON WHETHER OR NOT THAT GOES INTO EFFECT TOMORROW. LET'S TALK ABOUT THOSE PUBLIC LIBRARIES AND THOSE COMMUNITY CENTERS. THE MAYOR MENTIONED THO SPECIFICALLY, BECAUSE OF THE PLAYSTATION GOES THERE THE MOST, CITING THE ELDERLY. SHE ALSO SAYS THEY WILL CLOSE DOWN TOMORROW, AND DEEP CLEANED OVER THE NEXT WEEK. AFTER THAT THEY'LL ASSESS WHERE WE ARE WITH THE CORONAVIRUS, AND SEE FROM THERE. WE HEARD FROM GOVERNOR RICKETTS ABOUT OMAHA BEING THE PRIMARY SOURCE OF THESE CASES. NONE IN LINCOLN RIGHT NOW, BUT THE MAYOR AND THE GOVERNOR SAY IT MAY BE TIME TO TAKE ACTION BEFORE THE SECOND PERSON TESTS POSITIVE FOR COMMUNITY SPREAD. LET'S LISTEN TO HIM. >> YESTERDAY WE HAD OUR FIRST CASE WHERE WE COULD NOT TRACK WHERE THAT PERSON CAME FROM. SO THIS IS OUR FIRST CASE OF WHAT WE CALL COMMUNITY SPREAD. AS I MENTIONED ON FRIDAY PUT OUT THAT GUIDANCE, AND YOU CAN FIND IT O GOVERNOR.NEBRASKA.GOV, IF WE HAVE TWO CASES IN OMAHA, THAT WOULD PROMPT ME TO WORK WITH PUBLIC HEALTH OFFICIALS AND SCHOOL DISTRICTS TO START CLOSING SCHOOLS. RIGHT NOW WE'VE GOT A DOCUMENT OUT THAT SAYS WE DON'T WANT PUBLIC GATHERINGS GREATER THAN 250. WE WILL BE TAKING THAT DOWN TO 50 OR LESS. WE HAVE TWO COMMUNITY CASES. WE'RE CONTINUING TO EVALUATE THAT, WITH YOUR PUBLIC OFFICIALS. WE'RE CONTINUING TO WORK TO MAKE SURE WE KEEP NEBRASKANS SAF >> EARLY THIS MORNING, THEY INDICATED TO ME THAT THIS INDIVIDUAL A BEEN IDENTIFIED, HAS TESTED ON THE 13TH, MARCH 13TH, HOWEVER HER SYMPTOMS STARTED O MARCH 2ND. THIS WAS ALSO A TRAVEL-RELATED CASE, HOWEVER BECAUSE SHE HAD THESE DAYS IN BETWEEN THIS INDIVIDUAL WAS I OUR COMMUNITY AT LARGE PUBLIC EVENT >> SHE DID MENTION MANY LARGE-SCALE EVENTS -- WE DID MENTION, OF COURSE, THAT THE LARGE-SCALE EVENTS THAT DR. POUR IS TALKING ABOUT, THOSE ARE LOW RISK EXPOSURES, BUT OF COURSE THE STATE DOCTORS AND DOUGLAS COUNTY, THEY'RE ENCOURAGING YOU IF YOU'VE BEEN TO ONE THOSE EVENT THAT YOU TALK WITH YOUR HEALTHCARE PROVIDER IF YOU START TO SHOW SYMPTOMS. THE MAYOR EXPECTS TO HAVE A PRESS CONFERENCE TOMORROW MORNING AT 11:00 A.M. ABOUT HOW TO HANDLE CITY EMPLOYEES IF THEY BECOME AT RISK OR SYMPTOMATIC WITH THESE LARGE EVENTS. LET'S LISTEN TO THE MAYOR HER >> I AGREE WITH COMMISSIONER ROGERS, THAT MAYBE IT'S TIME FOR US TO USE OUR POWERS NOW WITH THE HOLIDAY, SAINT PATRICK'S DAY COMING ON, AND WITH ALL OF THE EVENTS HELD IN OUR BARS AND RESTAURANTS, TO GO AHEAD AND REDUCE THAT NUMBER. WE HAVEN'T MADE THAT DECISION YET. WE WANT TO MAKE THE ANNOUNCEMENT NOW SO THAT BAR OWNERS AND RESTAURANT OWNERS ARE AWARE THAT WE MAY REDUCE THE NUMBER TO 25-50 IN THESE CLOSED ESTABLISHMENTS. I HAVE A GREAT CONCERN ABOUT THE PEOPLE THERE, THE CLOSE CONTACT. WE'VE TALKED OVER AND OVER AGAIN ABOUT THAT PERSONAL CONTACT, THAT DISTANCING. I ALSO AM VERY CONCERNED ABOUT OUR FIRST RESPONDER >> THE DOCTORS DID M MENTION THE YMCA, IN THE BIOCONTAINMENT UNIT AT NEBRASKA MEDICINE, ONLY ONE POSITIVE CONTACT OUT OF THAT. AGAIN, ALL OF THIS TO STOP THE SPREAD. JU