LINCOLN- The giant bottle of hand sanitizer was gone, as was the sign language interpreter and the charts tracking COVID-19 numbers.

Nor did anyone wipe down the podium Monday before Gov. Pete Ricketts announced that he would end the COVID-19 state of emergency declared well over a year ago — on March 13, 2020 — as of 11:59 p.m. Wednesday.

He noted that hospitalizations for COVID-19 statewide are low and stressed the need to “get back to normal.” But as he has throughout the pandemic, Ricketts urged people to get a vaccine. “It’s important for everyone to know the coronavirus is going to be with us,” he said. “… That’s why it’s important to get a vaccine. Vaccines work. We have proof of it in Nebraska.”

Twenty-seven Nebraskans are hospitalized with COVID-19, Ricketts said. That number, which peaked Nov. 20 at 987, has been below 100 since mid-May and below 40 since mid-June. The announcement, however, comes as Nebraska ended its eight-week stretch of falling cases.

Nebraska’s rate of fully vaccinated individuals — 47.9% as of Monday — continues to exceed the nation’s 46%. The state still ranks highly in vaccinating the vulnerable 65-and-over population. Its 84.4% vaccination rate is 12th-best in the U.S.

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