Bars in Linn County and three other counties closed by order of Gov. Kim Reynolds on Aug. 27 can reopen at 5 p.m. on Wednesday, according to a new public health proclamation signed by the governor on Tuesday. Limitations on restaurants serving liquor will also be removed. “Bars, taverns, wineries, breweries, distilleries, [and] night clubs” […]
Iowa Department of Public Health
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COVID-19: UI, ISU and UNI eliminate spring break; more than 1,800 UI students have reported testing positive
There will be no spring break in 2021 for students at Iowa’s three public universities, the schools announced on Monday. The elimination of this standard part of student life is part of the effort to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 at the University of Iowa, Iowa State University and the University of Northern Iowa. Gaining […]
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Ernst privately apologizes to Iowa Medical Society for suggesting doctors are faking COVID-19 deaths
Sen. Joni Ernst privately apologized to members of the Iowa Medical Society (IMS) for her suggestion that doctors are faking COVID-19 deaths to make money, but declined to say if she’d issue a public statement withdrawing her suggestion, Iowa Starting Line reported. Ernst made her remarks about doctors falsely attributing deaths to COVID-19 during an […]
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As more Iowa cities and counties fall into the ‘red zone,’ Reynolds makes another call for ‘normalcy’
“I would continue to say, as we learn to live with COVID-19 until we have a vaccine, we have to learn to live with it,” Gov. Kim Reynolds declared at her news conference on Thursday. “And we have to start to bring some normalcy into our lives.” Reynolds said this in response to a question […]
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Iowa Republican leaders join President Trump in trying to pressure the Big 10 into resuming fall football season
The Republican leaders of the Iowa Legislature sent a letter to Big 10 Commissioner Kevin Warren, asking him to restore the conference’s fall football system, which was canceled due to concerns over the spread of COVID-19. “Just last month, under your leadership, the Big Ten released updated and enhanced testing, quarantine and isolation policies,” Speaker […]
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Judges reject requests from Iowa City and Des Moines school districts for injunctions against Reynolds’ school mandates
Judges in Johnson County and Polk County denied requests from school districts for temporary injunctions blocking the state from enforcing Gov. Kim Reynolds’ mandate that schools provide at least 50 percent in-person instruction, unless the Iowa Department of Education (DOE) decides the spread of COVID-19 in a school district is severe enough to allow more […]
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COVID-19: Fauci says Iowa is at risk of a post-Labor Day surge; more than 1,000 new cases and 23 deaths reported
Iowa was one of seven states Dr. Anthony Fauci singled out as needing to take precautions over the Labor Day weekend to prevent a further surge in COVID-19 cases. “There are several states that are at risk for surging, namely North Dakota, South Dakota, Iowa, Arkansas, Missouri, Indiana, Illinois,” Fauci said in an interview with […]
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Almost 800 cases of COVID-19 have been reported among UI students this week
The University of Iowa began its Friday COVID-19 update with an optimistic-sounding statement. “Following a disappointing spike in COVID-19 cases last week, both Johnson County and the University of Iowa are seeing an improvement in the number of daily positive cases,” the statement on the UI COVID-19 information page said. “UI Health Care administrators say […]
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More than 1,100 UI students have tested positive for COVID-19
Another 220 University of Iowa students self-reported positive COVID-19 tests between Monday and Wednesday, according to the latest update to the UI COVID-19 information page. Three more staff members also self-reported positive test results. The new cases bringing the number of UI students who have self-reported COVID-19 to the university since Aug. 18 to 1,142. […]
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Gov. Reynolds defends ISU plan to have 25,000 fans at football opener just before ISU reverses decision
Iowa State University announced on Wednesday afternoon it will not be permitting spectators to attend its first home football game on Saturday, Sept. 12. The university had been widely criticized for its previous decision to allow 25,000 spectators to attend the game despite a spike in COVID-19 cases in Ames. The change in policy was […]
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White House Coronavirus Task Force: Iowa has the country’s highest rate of new COVID-19 cases, and should have statewide mask mandate
Johnson County had another triple-digit increase in its number of COVID-19 cases on Tuesday, with the Iowa Department of Public Health reporting 138 residents had tested positive for the virus during the 24-hour period ending at 10 a.m. The department’s official 14-day average daily positivity rate for Johnson County increased to 23.4 percent on Tuesday. […]
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Another 329 cases of COVID-19 reported at the University of Iowa since Friday
The surge in COVID-19 cases in Johnson County continued on Monday, with the Iowa Department of Public Health reporting another 122 positive test results for county residents between 10 a.m. on Sunday and 10 a.m. on Monday. The department’s official estimate of the county’s 14-day positivity rate for its COVID-19 tests at 10 a.m. was […]
