DES MOINES – Gov. Kim Reynolds is phasing out Covid requirements in Iowa as new virus variants are creeping into the state.
Friday, Gov. Reynolds signed a new Public Health Disaster proclamation that relaxes existing public health measures effective Sunday, February 7th, 2021 while continuing critical regulatory relief to those on the frontlines of COVID19 recovery for an additional 30 days.
The proclamation strongly encourages Iowans, businesses, and organizations to take reasonable public health measures consistent with guidance from the Iowa Department of Public Health.
The proclamation is also modified to reflect changes due to the passage of Senate File 160 and extends the waiver on transportation restrictions for overweight loads.
A liberal Iowa political group said, after Reynolds announced she was retreating from state mandates, “The Governor has waved the white flag of surrender in the fight against this pandemic. We have desperately needed her to lead, and at every turn she’s failed us. More than five thousand are dead, hundreds of thousands infected, and too many Iowa families are struggling because of her inability to get the job done. Now is not the time to loosen restrictions.”
President Joe Biden has asked citizens to wear masks and is boldly facing the ongoing pandemic as thousands of Americans die each day. In a retort to this leadership, prior to signing her declaration, Reynolds tweeted, “Strong conservative governors are the last line of defense against Joe Biden’s executive orders and the far Left’s radical agenda.”
Experts are wanting that new, more transmissible variants of the coronavirus have entered the state. Vaccines are slow to be disbursed in Iowa, and they may not be affective against these new strains.
The entire proclamation can found online here.
