On Saturday, the Iowa Department of Public Health reported 648 more Iowans have tested positive for COVID-19, breaking the one-day record of newly reported cases set on Friday. This brings the state’s total number of confirmed cases of the virus to 5,092. New cases include 28 residents of Johnson County and 39 residents of Linn […]
Gov. Kim Reynolds
Posted inCommunity/News
Reynolds takes ‘first step’ to reopening Iowa, as the state sets new one-day records for COVID-19 cases, deaths
On the same day the Iowa Department of Public Health reported one-day records for both new COVID-19 cases and deaths caused by the virus, Gov. Kim Reynolds signed a proclamation she called the “first step” in “reopening Iowa.” Relaxing restrictions “Today I’m announcing that, effective Monday, Iowa health systems, health care providers may begin the […]
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A tip from Ashton Kutcher led to $26 million Test Iowa contract, Reynolds says
The process that led to a Utah-based tech company, Nomi Health, being awarded a no-bid $26 million contract for Iowa’s new COVID-19 testing program started with a suggestion from Ashton Kutcher, Gov. Kim Reynolds explained at her press conference on Thursday. Reynolds said the suggestion came during a phone call to the Cedar Rapids-born actor […]
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Tyson finally closes Waterloo plant, while Reynolds fields questions about the no-bid contract behind Test Iowa
Gov. Kim Reynolds struck a very optimistic note near the end of her press conference on Wednesday. “Every day we’re making significant advances in addressing COVID-19 to the point where we’re going to start talking about how we can open things up in this state, based on what we’ve been able to do and based […]
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Focused on reopening the state, Reynolds appeals to Iowa celebrities, public to take the ‘#TestIowaChallenge’
During another recording-setting day, in which the Iowa Department of Public Health reported another 482 Iowans had tested positive for COVID-19, Gov. Kim Reynolds focused on how to “reopen” the state at her press conference on Tuesday. “As Iowa and the nation prepare to reopen, the ability to conduct large-scale testing is critical to understand […]
Posted inCOVID-19
Pork plants and prisons are the new front line in Iowa’s COVID-19 fight
As outbreaks at Iowa’s meat processing plants continued to drive a surge in COVID-19 cases, and workers’ complain not enough is being done to protect them from the virus, Gov. Kim Reynolds said it is essential that those plants remain open. “This isn’t like a regular facility, where you shut it down for two weeks,” […]
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COVID-19 numbers surge in Iowa, and a prison inmate in Coralville becomes the first in the state to test positive
The Iowa Department of Public Health reported 389 new cases of COVID-19 on Sunday, a total that eclipsed the previous one-day record for reported cases of 191 set on Friday. Those new cases bring to the state’s total of confirmed cases to 2,902. Sunday’s newly reported cases include 65 residents of Linn County and 29 […]
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Another meat processing plant reports cases of COVID-19, as Iowa’s total number of cases reaches 2,513
For the second day in a row, the Iowa Department of Public Health announced almost 200 new cases of COVID-19 in the state. On Friday, IDPH reported 191 new cases. On Saturday, it confirmed another 181 Iowans had tested positive, bringing the number of confirmed cases in Iowa to 2,513. Cases of COVID-19 were reported […]
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From Tyson plant outbreaks to ‘economic recovery’ plans, Reynolds and her COVID-19 team are collaborating with industry higher-ups, not workers
Iowa set another one-day record for the number of reported COVID-19 cases on Friday, as outbreaks at meat processing plants helped drive the total number of new cases to 191. On Thursday, Gov. Reynolds said the state was sending an additional 1,500 additional test kits to Louisa County, where the Tyson pork processing plant in […]
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Iowa schools won’t reopen for the rest of the school year
Iowa schools won’t reopen before the end of the school year, Gov. Reynolds announced on Friday. Reynolds first recommended the state’s K-12 schools close to help limit the spread of COVID-19 on March 15. “As we look at what the data is telling us now, I can’t tell you with certainty based on the Department […]
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As the district containing Linn County hits 10 points, Reynolds orders new restrictions but not the shelter-in-place promised
When Gov. Reynolds revealed the assessment system the Iowa Department Public Health was using to determine the severity of COVID-19 in the state, it was explained that if any of the six regions they’d created was rated a 10 or higher, the governor would issue a shelter-in-place order for that region. On Thursday, IDPH rated […]
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Reynolds addresses racial discrepancies in COVID-19 cases, plans to increase testing
New information provided on the state’s revamped COVID-19 website, launched on Tuesday, revealed that black and Latino Iowans are testing positive for the virus at disproportionate rates. At her press conference on Wednesday, Gov. Reynolds was asked, “What are you doing to address that?” “We’re still looking at the trends,” Reynolds replied. She added, “I […]
