Hunter
05/13/20
Governor Kim Reynolds announced further easing of restrictions in the state Wednesday.
Effective May 15, restrictions already lifted in 77 Iowa counties will now be extended statewide.
That means that restaurants, fitness centers, salons, barber shops, and massage therapy locations to open with restrictions. The governor said the decision was made based on consistent downward trends in virus activity in many areas of the state, with others starting to stabilize.
The ease of restrictions includes Polk and Woodbury counties, who have seen increased virus activity over the last two weeks. During the press conference, Reynolds said that they’re doing more testing in those counties to determine the source of the activity in order to contain it.
Sarah Reisetter is the Deputy Director of the Iowa Department of Public Health. She said several restrictions will be part of the reopening of the economy. They include frequent cleaning and sanitizing of establishments, hand washing and sanitizing supplies available for customers and staff, reminders of the 6-foot social distancing edict, and the use of masks or face coverings.
Employers are tasked with developing leave policies allowing staff to stay home if ill or been in contact with someone who has coronavirus, asking customers not to come to their establishments if they’ve been in contact with a confirmed case in the last two weeks, or if they’re not feeling well.
Reisetter said Iowans 65 and older or who are part of the high-risk pool for COVID-19 are being asked to continue staying home. Anyone who’s been in contact with a confirmed case for 30 minutes or longer should self-isolate for 14 days.
Governor Reynolds did not lift restrictions on bars that do not offer food, or casinos; they remain closed indefinitely.
The Iowa Department of Public Health announced 377 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 17 additional deaths, bringing those totals to 13,289 and 306 deaths.
388 Iowans are currently hospitalized with coronavirus; 133 patients are in the ICU, and 101 of them are on ventilators.
Further details are available at www.coronavirus.iowa.gov.
