OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Gov. Pete Ricketts has announced a public health order barring the Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha from performing pre-scheduled, non-emergency surgeries, one day after the hospital announced that it had activated its crisis plan because of the pandemic.
Ricketts says the state’s directed health measure would go into effect at 5 p.m. Friday and remain in place through Feb. 13.
The measure applies to what are known as Class C, D and E inpatient and outpatient surgeries, which aren’t as pressing as emergency procedures.
The Nebraska Medical Center is one of two hospitals within Nebraska Medicine, a nonprofit business that announced Thursday that it was shifting to a “crisis standard of care” because of the coronavirus’ omicron variant.