The National Bureau of Economic Research says Nebraska ranked 2nd in the country for its pandemic response, giving the state an A+ grade.
It’s the second time in less than 6 months that Nebraska’s pandemic response has drawn national praise. Politico ranked the state #1 in its State Pandemic Scorecard in December.
Governor Pete Ricketts says the credit goes to the residents of the state whose sacrifices helped power through the pandemic under an approach that allowed people to live a more normal life, while working together to keep people healthy.
Ricketts says Nebraska avoided mask mandates, vaccine passports, and lockdowns, and instead trusted the good sense of people to do the right thing.
He calls it an approach that helped slow the spread of the virus to protect hospitals while giving students the opportunity for in-person learning, businesses the freedom to serve customers, and people the ability to stay connected in their communities.
The Bureau of Economic Research working paper, “A Final Report Card on the States’ Response to COVID-19,” is available online through the Wall Street Journal at s.wsj.net/public/resources/documents/NBERcovidstudy.pdf