Iowa covid numbers remain high overall, with a positivity rate over 20 percent, leaving some to wonder if Gov. Kim Reynolds should be so quick to end all covid precautions. Over the last seven days, there were 19,161 positive tests reported. That’s down from 23,461 at last report on Monday, but still a high number. In addition, while the state’s 14-day positivity rate fell from 22.9 percent, it only slipped a bit to 21.5 percent. Other covid numbers continue to fall, but not a huge amount. For example, there are currently 794 patients hospitalized with the virus, down from 849 on Monday. Just... Read More

BREAKING NEWS: Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds says the state is over the hump in terms of covid, and she’s taking down the covid websites and letting the Public Health Disaster Emergency Proclamation for the state expire. Reynolds announced Thursday that she has signed the final extension of Iowa’s Public Health Disaster Emergency Proclamation, letting it expire at 11:59 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 15. Reynolds first issued the public health emergency proclamation on March 17, 2020, as covid first began to bloom and spread throughout the U.S.  Iowa’s covid numbers continue to remain problematic,... Read More

LATEST: Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds has signed a bill that would allow employees to escape employer covid mandates, including vaccination mandates, and allow greater use of medical and religious exemptions for people to refuse covid restrictions. On Friday night, Reynolds signed the bill, which the Iowa House and Senate had passed Thursday. It makes it tougher for businesses to require employees to be vaccinated or submit to other covid protocols such as regular testing. The bill gives greater leeway for employees to claim medical and religious exemptions against covid employer mandates and guarantees... Read More

BREAKING NEWS: Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds has ripped into President Joe Biden’s new covid-19 mitigation plan, calling it “dangerous” and saying “enough is enough!” Biden’s new vaccine requirement was announced yesterday, requiring all government employees to be vaccinated and companies with 100 employees or more to require workers to get vaccinated or tested for the virus every week. Companies violating the policy could be hit with heavy fines. There’s no timetable yet on when the mandates will come into effect. “It’s about protecting yourself and... Read More