Nebraska's attorney general is suing to stop Omaha's mask mandate

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Nebraska's attorney general is suing to stop Omaha's mask mandate¹

Transcript²

Nebraska is one of the states seeing a rise in COVID cases. A hearing Monday to assert political control over public health guidance comes as the omicron variant³ surges and hospitals plead for help.

RACHEL MARTIN, HOST:

As the number of COVID hospitalizations starts to fall in many states, they are rising sharply in others. Nebraska is one of those states. Most ICU beds there are full. At the same time, a lawsuit⁴ challenging a mask mandate gets underway today in Omaha. Nebraska Public Media's Bill Kelly reports.

BILL KELLY, BYLINE⁵: The Omaha City Council allowed its original mask mandate to expire in May of last year, when there were hopes COVID would start to fade with summer's arrival. Instead, when the new year came, it brought the highly contagious⁶ omicron variant. Now, all area hospitals are reporting ICU units close to capacity. Staff are falling ill as well. And in mid-January, the University of Nebraska Medical Center went to crisis-level operations. That means preparing to ration⁷ medical services if needed. Chief Medical Officer Dr. Hans Frankel (ph).

HARRIS FRANKEL: We've anticipated that this day could come. We have prepared for this event. But never before in the history of the institution has this had to be undertaken.

KELLY: Lindsay Huse is the public health director for Douglas County, home to Omaha and the University Medical Center. She says circumstances compelled her to act.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

LINDSAY HUSE: We're not doing everything that we can to help contain this astronomical⁸ spike⁹ in cases.

KELLY: Huse says the more infectious variant is being compounded by the unvaccinated falling ill and the healthy not taking sufficient precautions. Speaking to county commissioners¹⁰ two weeks ago, she said...

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

HUSE: I can't sit by and know that I could have done more and didn't do more. Later today, I plan to use my authority to order a mask mandate for the city of Omaha.

ANGELA HEWLETT: Yeah, this was incredibly welcome news.

KELLY: Dr. Angela Hewlett is an infectious disease specialist at the university hospital.

HEWLETT: When we heard about the mask mandate - and honestly, it was almost like we were cheering in the hallway.

KELLY: Not cheering - Pete Ricketts, Nebraska's Republican governor. Throughout the pandemic, he's vehemently¹¹ opposed government mandates¹². He says the health department in Douglas County can't issue them without state approval.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

PETE RICKETTS: When public health officials act outside the law, it undermines the faith in all of our public health structure here. So this is really discrediting¹³ what public health officials do by acting¹⁴ outside the scope of the law.

KELLY: Attorney General Doug Peterson filed the suit, saying Douglas County's mandate is an attempt to evade¹⁵ state law. He claims, in this instance, the health department's unelected director didn't have the authority to issue health directives.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

DOUG PETERSON: I want to be really clear. This is not a legal battle on mask mandates - are they good or are they bad? That's not the question. As the attorney general, that's not my role to make that determination.

KELLY: The suit a Nebraska court is taking up today resembles battles around the country, including in Texas, Missouri and Montana. Retired¹⁶ law professor Peter Jacobson represents the Network for Public Health Law.

PETER JACOBSON: What I think we're seeing is using a once-in-a-century pandemic to alter the way public health is provided. And we're moving it from the professionals, the public health professionals, and shifting responsibility to the politicians.

KELLY: Nebraska's Legislature is among at least a dozen considering measures that would further restrict powers granted local health departments in the name of protecting individual liberties.

For NPR News, I'm Bill Kelly in Omaha.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARP'S "NSUKU")

1 mandate   

n.托管地；命令，指示

参考例句：

• The President had a clear mandate to end the war.总统得到明确的授权结束那场战争。
• The General Election gave him no such mandate.大选并未授予他这种权力。

2 transcript   

n.抄本，誊本，副本，肄业证书

参考例句：

• A transcript of the tapes was presented as evidence in court.一份录音带的文字本作为证据被呈交法庭。
• They wouldn't let me have a transcript of the interview.他们拒绝给我一份采访的文字整理稿。

3 variant   

adj.不同的，变异的；n.变体，异体

参考例句：

• We give professional suggestions according to variant tanning stages for each customer.我们针对每位顾客不同的日晒阶段，提供强度适合的晒黑建议。
• In a variant of this approach,the tests are data- driven.这个方法的一个变种，是数据驱动的测试。

4 lawsuit   

n.诉讼，控诉

参考例句：

• They threatened him with a lawsuit.他们以诉讼威逼他。
• He was perpetually involving himself in this long lawsuit.他使自己无休止地卷入这场长时间的诉讼。

5 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

6 contagious   

adj.传染性的，有感染力的

参考例句：

• It's a highly contagious infection.这种病极易传染。
• He's got a contagious laugh.他的笑富有感染力。

7 ration   

n.定量(pl.)给养，口粮；vt.定量供应

参考例句：

• The country cut the bread ration last year.那个国家去年削减面包配给量。
• We have to ration the water.我们必须限量用水。

8 astronomical   

adj.天文学的，（数字）极大的

参考例句：

• He was an expert on ancient Chinese astronomical literature.他是研究中国古代天文学文献的专家。
• Houses in the village are selling for astronomical prices.乡村的房价正在飙升。

9 spike   

n.长钉，钉鞋；v.以大钉钉牢，使...失效

参考例句：

• The spike pierced the receipts and held them in order.那个钉子穿过那些收据并使之按顺序排列。
• They'll do anything to spike the guns of the opposition.他们会使出各种手段来挫败对手。

10 commissioners   

n.专员( commissioner的名词复数 )；长官；委员；政府部门的长官

参考例句：

• The Commissioners of Inland Revenue control British national taxes. 国家税收委员管理英国全国的税收。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The SEC has five commissioners who are appointed by the president. 证券交易委员会有５名委员，是由总统任命的。 来自英汉非文学 - 政府文件

11 vehemently   

adv. 热烈地

参考例句：

• He argued with his wife so vehemently that he talked himself hoarse. 他和妻子争论得很激烈，以致讲话的声音都嘶哑了。
• Both women vehemently deny the charges against them. 两名妇女都激烈地否认了对她们的指控。

12 mandates   

托管（mandate的第三人称单数形式）

参考例句：

• Individual mandates would require all people to purchase health insurance. 个人托管要求所有人都要购买健康保险。
• While I agree with those benefits, I'm not a supporter of mandates. 我同意上述好处，我不是授权软件的支持者。

13 discrediting   

使不相信( discredit的现在分词 )； 使怀疑； 败坏…的名声； 拒绝相信

参考例句：

• It has also led to the discrediting of mainstream macroeconomics. 它还使得人们对主流宏观经济学产生了怀疑。

14 acting   

n.演戏，行为，假装；adj.代理的，临时的，演出用的

参考例句：

• Ignore her,she's just acting.别理她，她只是假装的。
• During the seventies,her acting career was in eclipse.在七十年代，她的表演生涯黯然失色。

15 evade   

vt.逃避，回避；避开，躲避

参考例句：

• He tried to evade the embarrassing question.他企图回避这令人难堪的问题。
• You are in charge of the job.How could you evade the issue?你是负责人，你怎么能对这个问题不置可否？

16 retired   

adj.隐退的，退休的，退役的

参考例句：

• The old man retired to the country for rest.这位老人下乡休息去了。
• Many retired people take up gardening as a hobby.许多退休的人都以从事园艺为嗜好。