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Updated at 3:55 p.m. Wednesday

An emergency public health order that requires face coverings for those ages 2 and older inside public spaces in Douglas County will go into effect Friday to help protect the community as COVID-19 cases have rapidly increased during the past week.

As of Wednesday, there were 1,944 active cases reported in Douglas County, according to Lawrence-Douglas County Public Health. The 14-day moving average for new cases is at 96.5 cases per day, a record high for the county. Just since Monday, 727 new cases have been reported.

The ongoing impact of the delta variant along with the arrival of both the highly contagious omicron variant and the influenza season is creating challenges for the community and health care providers throughout Douglas County, the county said in a news release Wednesday.

“We recognize this pandemic has taken a deep toll and the community is weary; unfortunately, the virus rages on,” Dr. Thomas Marcellino, local health officer, said in the release. “Now is the time we must act to protect our community from a potential crisis.”

LMH Health President and CEO Russ Johnson said he expected inpatient numbers to increase — at least to levels the county hasn’t seen since the beginning of the COVID response — all at a time when resources and staff are taxed.

“Our current emergency room wait times are longer due to patient volume,” he said in the release. “At the same time, the large number of patients hospitalized for COVID and other serious issues are significant, and we are routinely required to hold patients in our emergency department until a staffed bed is available.”

Additionally, Johnson said staffing has been a challenge at LMH Health as it has been for the entire health care industry. “Every hospital’s ability to respond in the coming weeks and months will be limited not by supplies or number of beds available for patients, but by the staff members and providers able to care for them,” he said.

“With this in mind, our physicians and hospital leadership support an indoor mask mandate,” Johnson said. “Masking will help slow the spread of COVID, influenza and other respiratory viruses in our community. It also serves to protect our team members, our single most valuable resource at LMH Health.”

The emergency public health order was issued by Marcellino and Douglas County Commission Chair Shannon Portillo. The public health order, recommended by Douglas County Unified Command, includes:

• An individual mask order. Any person in Douglas County should wear a mask or face covering when: inside or in line to enter any indoor public space, obtaining health care services, waiting for or riding on public transportation, or while outdoors and unable to maintain a 6-foot distance between individuals who do not reside together.

• A business mask order. All businesses or organizations in Douglas County must require employees, customers, visitors and members of the public to wear a mask or face covering when: working in any public space, working where food is prepared or packaged, or in any enclosed area where people are present and unable to maintain a 6-foot distance.

There are exemptions to the order. These include:

• People with a medical condition, mental health condition or disability that prevents wearing a face covering.

• People who are deaf or hard of hearing.

• People engaged in religious services, ceremonies or activities.

• People who are seated at a restaurant or other establishment that offers food or beverages while they are actively eating or drinking.

• People engaged in a court-related proceeding.

The order will remain in effect until Wednesday, Jan. 12, unless it is otherwise rescinded or modified by the Douglas County Commission. Commissioners will discuss extending the public health order during their business meeting at 5:30 p.m. Jan. 12 at the County Courthouse, 1100 Massachusetts St. The meeting also will be available by Zoom.

To review the full emergency public health order and Douglas County COVID information, visit: douglascountyks.org/coronavirus. Anyone with a question about the public health order can email: phorders@ldchealth.org.