“It is in the public’s interest to allow local public school districts to exercise their discretion to adopt universal masking policies in an effort to inhibit the spread of COVID-19 and protect the children in their schools,” U.S. District Court Judge Robert Pratt wrote in his decision on Friday. Pratt issued a preliminary injunction against […]
COVID-19
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COVID-19: More than 9,800 new cases reported; anti-vaxxers rally at the Iowa State Capitol
After three weeks of reporting over 10,000 new cases in each of its weekly COVID-19 updates, the Iowa Department of Public Health reported 9,860 newly confirmed cases of the virus. Although it was it was a decline from the previous update’s total of 10,812 new cases, it also marked the seventh week with a rate […]
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Free at-home COVID-19 test kits now available at Iowa City Hall, Linn County Public Health
Free at-home COVID-19 test kits are now available at City Hall, Iowa City announced on Wednesday morning. These testing kits will be available from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, according to a news release from the city. “The kits are supplied to the City by Johnson County Public Health and will be […]
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Iowa City mask mandate extended, as state reports more than 10,000 new COVID cases and 81 deaths
Iowa City Mayor Bruce Teague issued an order on Wednesday extending the city’s mask mandate that has been in place since Aug. 19. The new order doesn’t have an expiration date as the previous one did and “shall remain in effect until it is rescinded.” When he first issued the mandate, the mayor explained, “The […]
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School mask mandates can stay in place — judge extends his temporary restraining order against Reynolds administration
On Monday, Judge Robert Pratt extended his temporary restraining order (TRO) that prohibits the state from enforcing the ban on school mask mandates Gov. Kim Reynolds signed into law in May. “Enforcement of [the school mask mandate ban] continues to pose a threat of irreparable harm to the children’s health and rights under the Americans […]
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New Iowa Poll finds majority approve of Gov. Reynolds’ overall handling of pandemic, but disapprove of her mask and vaccine policies
A majority of Iowans approve of Gov. Kim Reynolds’ overall handling of the COVID-19 pandemic, but they also disapprove of the governor’s actions on face masks and vaccines. Those seemingly contradictory results are included in the latest Iowa Poll published by the Des Moines Register. According to the survey of 805 Iowans, all 18 and […]
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COVID-19 hospitalizations hit a new high for the year, as more than 12,000 new cases and 81 deaths reported
Iowa set a record for hospitalized COVID-19 patients in 2021, as the rate of new cases continued to surge this month. In its weekly update on Wednesday, the Iowa Department of Public Health reported another 82 deaths from the virus and 12,163 newly confirmed cases during its seven-day reporting period. That’s an increase of 440 […]
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Dr. Caitlin Pedati, who has guided Iowa’s COVID-19 response, is leaving her job as IDPH medical director
Dr. Caitlin Pedati, medical director of the Iowa Department of Public Health and the state’s epidemiologist, will be leaving her position in “late October,” the department announced in a news release on Wednesday. According to IDPH, “Dr. Pedati plans to pursue new career opportunities.” Pedati has held her current job since June 2018, but didn’t […]
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Gov. Reynolds’ attorneys ask judge to let order allowing school mask mandates expire, claim it’s an ‘undue burden’ on the state
On Friday afternoon, attorneys for Gov. Kim Reynolds filed a challenge to the temporary restraining order (TRO) issued by U.S. District Court Judge Robert Pratt on Sept. 13. The TRO prohibits the state from enforcing the new law signed by Reynolds in May that forbid schools and school districts from mandating the use of face […]
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False news retweeted by Rep. Miller-Meeks earns AP fact check, tweet still not deleted
“Big, if true” is a years-old meme used on Twitter to parody journalists who retweet unverified news reports or bombshell rumors accompanied by a noncommittal phrase. The meme makes a joke out of dull, dumb, or understated headlines: “Macauley Culkin dined out in Los Angeles today.” Big, if true. “Alex Jones says the Pentagon is […]
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COVID-19: Almost 12,000 new cases, 64 more deaths; UI’s ‘few protections’ get national attention
In its weekly update on Wednesday, the Iowa Department of Public Health reported another 11,723 confirmed cases of COVID-19, a 39 percent increase from the 8,408 new cases during the previous seven-day reporting period. The rate of new cases in this latest update is the highest the state has experienced since Jan. 11. For the […]
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School board approves mask mandate for Iowa City schools
The Iowa City Community School District Board of Directors voted unanimously at its meeting on Tuesday night to create a universal face mask policy for district schools, to combat the spread of COVID-19. The policy requires students, staff and visitors to mask up when in school buildings. The mask mandate also applies outdoors on school […]
