Gov. Reynolds Issues New Restrictions Amid Rising Covid-19 Numbers

As COVID-19 cases climb in Iowa, Governor Kim Reynolds is requiring mask wearing at indoor gatherings of 25 or more people and imposing new restrictions on the crowd size at high school basketball games, wrestling matches and other youth sporting events. Masks are now required at any OUTDOOR gathering of 100 more as well. Violators could be charged with a misdemeanor.
Detractors say the governor’s actions are too little, too late. Reynolds is ordering businesses to evaluate whether more employees can work from home — and she’s now requiring all customers and employees at hair salons and barber shops to wear a mask. The governor says Iowans should minimize their time away from home as much as they can.

The new mask mandates do not extend to churches or to schools, although the governor says many school districts are already requiring mask wearing inside buildings and on buses. Reynolds is urging Iowans to postpone events like birthday parties and family gatherings.

The governor’s new limitation of two spectators per athlete at a youth sporting event does NOT apply to this weekend’s high school football championships in Cedar Falls. Masks are required for the crowd in the UNI-Dome. The two-ticket rule WILL apply to concerts, plays and other high school events with an audience.