Omaha Mayor Jean Stothert held a Press Conference Tuesday with Douglas County Health Director Dr. Adi Pour to go over next steps in dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic.
Dr. Pour warns that with the current pace of COVID-19 vaccinations, it may take a year to get everyone vaccinated.
Pour says there will be vaccination sites in Downtown Omaha, Millard, North Omaha, and Christ Community Church on 108th Street, among others.
Dr. Pour says more on the opening dates and hours will be announced at a later date, and an appointment system will be available. More than 150,000 have registered on the county’s notification sign-up.
Pour says the vaccination of those 80 and older will be prioritized in phase 1B.
Pour says if more vaccine-makers are approved, they could increase the number of doses available in the metro.
Pour says there has been a decline in COVID-19 testing numbers.
Mayor Stothert says she would support the City Council’s plan to extend the city’s facemask ordinance extension until May 25.
“I think the more that we learn about this virus and the more that we learn from our public health experts, these masks do indeed work," says Stothert. “And if we can do anything to help prevent the spread and protect others, we should be doing that.”
Stothert laid out the city’s budget plans and a checklist of 10 strategic priorities for the coming year:
Those include: reinforcing public safety as a top priority by authorizing the 2021 Omaha Police recruit class, slated to begin in April, extending the city’s facemask ordinance to May, as proposed by the City Council, distributing funds for rent and utility assistance, including an additional $22.2 million obtained via the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021, promoting and encouraging COVID-19 vaccinations, managing the city’s budget and allocate last year’s budget surplus to the city’s reserves, addressing unemployment by expanding community service funding and neighborhood grants for job training and work readiness programs, restoring the city’s tourism industry and hospitality sector jobs, identifying additional recovery needs and strategies with the help of the COVID advisory board.
(Photo by WOWT 6 News)