Madison County Man 14th COVID-19 Death

NORFOLK- State health officials have reported another coronavirus death in Nebraska, bringing the state’s total number of COVID-19 deaths to 14.

The Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services reports the latest death is that of a man in his 70s in Madison County. Officials say the man had several underlying health conditions. As of Thursday morning, the state had reported 523 cases of the virus, with more than 7,500 residents testing negative. News of the death comes a day after Governor Pete Ricketts announced that he hoped to start gradually lifting some gathering restrictions by the beginning of May. Ricketts says Nebraska residents shouldn’t expect the state to end its social distancing restrictions all at one time, and some of the rules will be relaxed gradually to prevent another surge in coronavirus cases. Ricketts says he still hopes to lift some restrictions after the end of the month, but he plans to take a cautious approach so that public health officials have time to see whether it’s causing cases to spike.

For instance, he says the state’s ban on gatherings of more than 10 people may first be loosened to allow for groups of 20 or 25 people before it’s eliminated.