Hunter
04/03/20
Governor Kim Reynolds extended her emergency declaration to combat the coronavirus outbreak to April 30th on Thursday.
That means bars and restaurants with the exception of pickup and delivery, and non-essential businesses will remain closed past the original date Reynolds announced.
The governor has also extended her recommendation that schools remain closed through April 30th, but stopped short of cancelling classes for the rest of the year.
School districts have three options during the additional closing time:
They can choose not to provide remote instruction and make up the missed time in-person later in the year
Districts can provide required educational services through online learning. They would have to apply for permission from the state Department of Education for approval of their plan, and it would have to be available to all students. Virtual attendance would be taken, and students would be graded and given credit for their work.
Districts can also provide voluntary education opportunities, such as providing paper packets and online instruction. This option fulfills required instructional time, although the work would not be graded or given credit. Students would not be required to participate in this option.
The governor has gotten some criticism for not officially issue a statewide “shelter in place” order like 37 other states across the country have done, but Reynolds says her orders are already having the same effect.
A recent study of the travel habits of Iowans during the COVID-19 crisis, comparing them to the edicts Italy put in place to enforce social distancing, gave the state a C rating. Unicast is using data from phone location and the amount of distance people are traveling to come up with the grade. State officials say the comparison is unfair given the amount of rural areas and extra travel that entails.
The Iowa legislature has also extended their temporary break in the 2020 session through April 30th to keep in line with the governor’s order.