City officials updated the community Friday afternoon to Lincoln’s response to COVID-19.
The highlights are below.
Smithfield in Lincoln Sees Its First COVID-19 Cases
The new coronavirus is now infecting a Smithfield plant in Lincoln.
Today marks the first time COVID-19 is affecting a city meat packing plant.
“In reviewing all of the investigations that have been completed through midday today, we have found four cases out of a total of 281 that are connected to the Lincoln-based Smithfield plant,” Pat Lopez, interim director for the Lincoln-Lancaster County Health Department said.
There are also 49 cases related to Smithfield’s plant in Crete . Forty-five are employees and four are family members.
Lopez added a team from the University of Nebraska Medical Center was in Crete to help improve plant safety. She also said Lincoln’s plant has taken extra precautions to protect employees.
Lincoln Police See Different Trends During COVID-19
Lincoln Police are seeing increases in different trends throughout the community since the directed health measure was implemented.
Chief Jeff Bliemeister says they’ve seen about 125,000 for service which is below the five-year average.
“That’s a good thing and we do believe that’s a direct response to people staying home, staying healthy and it’s reducing that volume slightly,” he says.
Other trends:
- Traffic down 46%
- Larceny From Autos up 100%
- Fraud is increasing
- Dispatch calls down
Lincoln’s Water Crews Marooned In Ashland To Protect Water Supply
They are heroes on the front lines.
Lincoln’s water system crews are stationed in RVs at the city’s well fields in Ashland – 24-hours a day, seven days a week to ensure they stay COVID-19 free to service us.
Lincoln Transportation and Utilities Director Liz Elliot says this step in public safety is a sacrifice.
“These measures take considerable effort and dedication on behalf of the entire staff at Lincoln water. Again, this entire team of professions is placing the best interests first and foremost.”
Crews began living there on April 16.
They used other quarantine and isolation measures earlier when the pandemic started.
Elliot says some of theses costs are FEMA reimbursable.