[4]  On February 17, thirteen Americans were repatriated to University of Nebraska Medical Center from the Diamond Princess off the coast of Japan.

[5][6] On March 6, Governor Pete Ricketts announced Nebraska's first presumptive case, a 36-year-old woman from Omaha who had recently returned from a trip to England.

[7] On March 19, Ricketts began to institute restrictions on commerce and public gatherings via the "Directed Health Measures" (DHM) system, within individual counties based on the number of active infections in a region.

[28] Amidst major increases in other parts of the country, it was reported that new cases in Nebraska were "about as stable as we've ever been", and active hospitalizations at their lowest point since mid-April.

[31] A spike in cases was reported in Douglas County, especially among younger residents, with officials suggesting that Labor Day weekend activities may have led to them.

[37][38][39] On July 14, amid criticism of the decision with the spread of Delta variant, the state announced plans to publish weekly data on a new website.

[40] The expiration of COVID-19 executive orders on July 31 prohibits counties with a population of less than 20,000 from publishing COVID-19 data, as per the safe harbor standards of the HIPAA Privacy Rule.

[41] On March 27, Governor Ricketts announced that the state would waive certain license fees and background checks in order to expedite the entry of retired, inactive, and out-of-state health professionals to help in managing the pandemic.

[42][43][44] The rollout of the program faced criticism; on May 11, Democratic state senators Machaela Cavanaugh, Carol Blood, Megan Hunt, and Rick Kolowski called for Nebraska to cancel its contracts with the firms, questioning Nomi's expertise in the field, and arguing that Nebraska should have made investments in local companies to run the testing program.

Ricketts defended the TestNebraska program, stating that "they should be happy that we're doing the tests", and that "the senators just don't understand what this all involves to pull together something like this so quickly.

[44] The program initially stated that results would be returned in 48 hours; however, after missing this target due to various factors (such as some of the required equipment arriving late), the window was extended to 72.

"[46] In early-July 2020, some testing sites began to experience shortages in lab supplies due to increased demand in other states with spikes.

[47][48] Rather than implement a state-wide stay-at-home order, Nebraska employed a framework of "Directed Health Measures" (DHM), which included enforceable restrictions on public gatherings of more than 10 people, elective medical procedures, restaurants (restricted to take-out service only), schools (must close to students through May 31, no extracurricular activities), and social distancing.

Restaurants were allowed to offer dine-in service at half capacity (with a maximum of six patrons per-party, no self-service or buffets, and alcohol only served to those with an intent to dine), and personal care facilities could re-open (provided both employees and customers wear face coverings).

Phase I applied inside Dakota, Hall, Hamilton, and Merrick counties, and allowed restaurants to offer dine-in service at half capacity, and gyms and personal care facilities to open with a limit of 10 customers at a time.

[64][65][66] Lincoln County announced its intent to enshrine recommendations for restaurants (including the wearing of masks by public-facing employees, and cleaning protocols) in law under its DHM.

Bars and restaurants were allowed to reopen to full capacity (though groups of eight or more must be split among tables, and self-service remains prohibited), and recreational activities can be offered.

[68] Plans were announced for in-person classes to resume at schools in the fall, subject to guidance to be issued by the Nebraska Department of Education.

[70] On July 24, Central Nebraska's Loup Basin health region became the first to enter Phase IV,[71][72] under which legal enforcement of most of the existing regulations is suspended (being converted to guidance instead), besides those on capacity of indoor gatherings (75%), and social distancing.

Events larger than 500 people (1000 in Douglas County) remain subject to the approval of local health authorities, and require submission of a written plan.

[82] Amid shortages of personal protective equipment, the University of Nebraska Medical Center conducted experiments in using UV light to disinfect and reuse masks.

The cancellation was expected to have a major economic impact, especially on businesses near TD Ameritrade Park (such as bars, restaurants, and shops) that rely on the influx of fans for their revenue.

The Nebraska Cornhuskers football team declared an intent to play in the fall as an independent, but the Big Ten's commissioner stated that they could not do so without consequences.

[94][95] In mid-September, the Big Ten approved a shortened season beginning in late-October, with all games held behind closed doors.