Johnson County now requires anyone entering a county-owned building to wear a face mask in response to the surge in new COVID-19 cases in Iowa caused by the highly contagious Delta variant. The county joins Linn County, Cedar Rapids, Iowa City, Coralville and North Liberty, which had already enacted mask mandates for their municipal buildings. […]
coronavirus
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‘I’m not a scientist’: Gov. Reynolds on face masks; the Iowa State Fair opens as COVID cases keep climbing
The Iowa State Fair opened its 11-day run on Thursday with limited COVID-19 precautions, even though new data from the Iowa Department of Public Health showed new cases of the virus are continuing to increase rapidly and the number of hospitalized COVID-19 patient took a dramatic jump. In its weekly update issued on Wednesday, IDPH […]
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‘Give it to the people’: Iowa City holds public discussion on how to spend $18 million in pandemic relief
Advocates for immediate action to assist marginalized members of the community made their voices heard in Mercer Park on Wednesday evening, as city officials held a public input session on how to spend the $18.3 million dollars in federal aid being provided to Iowa City under the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA). President Biden signed […]
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Masks and vaccines ‘strongly recommended’ for Cedar Rapids students and teachers
The Cedar Rapids Community School District (CRCSD) is “strongly recommending” students wear masks when returning to school this fall and is requiring masks on district buses. School districts in Iowa can no longer require mask-wearing in their schools, due to a law Gov. Kim Reynolds signed in May. Students and staff who test positive for […]
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Coralville and North Liberty will require face masks in city buildings
Coralville and North Liberty are joining Iowa City and Cedar Rapids in requiring everyone entering city-owned buildings to wear face masks, regardless of their vaccination status. The requirements will take effect Wednesday, the two cities announced in written statements on Tuesday. Because of the rapid spread of the highly infectious Delta variant, the CDC updated […]
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Sit-in planned at Iowa Capitol to push Gov. Reynolds to allow school COVID-19 mandates
A sit-in at the Iowa State Capitol is scheduled for Wednesday to protest Gov. Reynolds’ refusal to allow school districts to require face masks or have the Iowa Department of Public Health monitor COVID-19 in schools. The “Safe at School” sit-in is being sponsored by Safe at School and the Disability Caucus of the Iowa […]
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Masks will be required in Linn County buildings starting Monday
Linn County employees and visitors will be required to wear face masks at county-owned facilities starting Monday, regardless of their vaccination status. A divided Board of Supervisors passed the mask mandate during a meeting on Friday morning. The ideological division between supervisors on masks was visible even before the resolution was introduced. Supervisor Stacey Walker […]
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Iowa City is requiring face masks in city buildings again, as COVID-19 rates rise in Johnson County
Face masks will be required in all city-owned buildings in Iowa City starting on Friday, regardless of visitors’ vaccination status. “The decision to require that masks be worn in City facilities was made for the health and safety of visitors to public facilities and for the staff who serve them,” the city said in a […]
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Cedar Rapids requires mask wearing in city-owned buildings
The City of Cedar Rapids is requiring all visitors to city-owned buildings to wear a mask, regardless of vaccination status. The change is in line with the most recent guidance issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention last week, the city said in a news release. The CDC’s pivot about fully vaccinated individuals […]
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Free DIY COVID-19 test kits now available
The last Test Iowa sites closed down on Friday, as the Iowa Department of Public Health ceased using drive-through test sites and started relying on at-home test kits to monitor the spread of COVID-19 in the state. Like the drive-through testing, the at-home testing program, which IDPH is doing in partnership with the State Hygienic […]
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Iowa City Municipal Airport warns about scams involving puppies and jobs
The Iowa City Municipal Airport put out a warning on Friday morning to alert people to a pair of scams, one involving puppies, the other involving jobs. “The first scam was reported earlier this summer and involves groups posing as pet breeders who say they will fly a dog you purchased to the Iowa City […]
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After more than a year of pandemic lockdown, Coralville Community Food Pantry reopens its doors to the public
Following a few brief remarks from its executive director, and a round of applause from supporters and volunteers, the Coralville Community Food Pantry reopened its doors to the public on Tuesday afternoon. “This is a really good day,” Executive Director John Boller said. The pantry’s staff and volunteers we excited to welcome clients back inside […]
