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Daycares asked to limit to groups of 10 children or less, make room for those unable to work from home

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OMAHA, Neb. — In a meeting with the Douglas County Board of Health, Dr. Adi Pour said it's time to give the direction people are asking for, asking that childcare groups be limited to groups of 10 or less.

"We need some leadership; we need someone who is not using words like recommend," Pour said. "We need to know what we need to do."

Pour said the groups need to be stable, meaning children should remain in assigned groups and avoid mixing.

"Childcare must be carried out in a stable group of 10 or fewer children," Pour said. "Stable means the same group of 10 or fewer are in the same group each day. So you do not want to have a lot of mixing. Children should not change from one group to another."

The group of 10 does not include staff members caring for the children.

At the Governor's news conference, Wednesday, Primrose School owner Theresa Thibodeau asked people who can work from home to keep their children home with them.

"Open those spaces for those who are in our military, our healthcare facilities, our first responders, fire, paramedics, police," Thibodeau said. "It is essential that those people can continue to work so they can provide safety for our community as well as help treat the people who may become ill with this virus."

Many daycare centers are remaining open amid the new restriction, and some owners say they have lots of space in their building. Children are divided into small groups of 10 based on age, and people have to sanitize their hands before entering any of the rooms.

Elite learning Academy posted on Facebook it is only allowing parents to enter the lobby to drop kids off and checking kids' temperatures twice a day.

"Its not about finding loop holes, it's about having common sense," Pour said. "I would encourage everyone in the community not to play with words, but take it what it says."