Will announced phased in reopening strategies Monday
Gov Kim Reynolds is taking the first step to reopen Iowa. She announced at her Friday press briefing that starting Monday, hospitals, surgery centers and clinics can resume performing elective surgeries and procedures, and that farmers markets can open.
“On March 8, when I announced COVID-19 was confirmed in Iowa, we started down a path not knowing exactly where it would lead. We understood the significance of this time and the importance of doing whatever necessary to protect the health of Iowans, especially our most vulnerable…. Bold mitigation strategies were necessary…. We needed time to track and understand the virus and its potential impact so we could respond with precision and force…. We’ve done just that,” Reynolds said.
She enumerated steps taken, and said Iowa now has “the strong public health infrastructure we need to continue managing the pandemic while beginning our economic recovery.”
She said information from the Regional Medical Coordination Centers shows that ICU beds and ventilators are “well-managed and in good supply. The coordination between provider systems and the state give us the confidence that we can effectively care for COVID-19 patients while also providing procedures to improve health and quality of life for others.”
Providers must meet some requirements before they are able to schedule elective procedures, including assuring they have an adequate supply of personal protective equipment (PPE) and must have resources other than the state to obtain more PPE.
Farmers markets will reopen with only vendors selling farm products or food. There will be no entertainment or activities and no common seating areas or picnic tables. Vendor booths must have at least six feet of empty space between them.
Reynolds’ order specifies that festivals or community gatherings of 10 or more people except farmers markets are still prohibited. Iowans are encouraged to send only one household member to the market.
She said she’ll make additional announcements Monday regarding the first phase of reopening Iowa.
Reynolds opened the press briefing announcing there were 521 new COVID-19 cases and 11 deaths during the reporting period, both the largest single-day numbers to date. A journalist asked during the Q & A about reopening the state at this time.
Reynolds answered that with increased testing, surveillance testing, contact tracing and serology testing, the state will be able “to target responses and identify where clusters and hotspots are…. It allows us to comprehensively monitor cases…. It allows us to be very targeted in how we respond. It allows us to start to open up other areas where there are no cases or very few cases… There are a lot of different variables we’ll be looking at. We’ll take a very targeted approach.
“You’re not going to see a statewide release on some of the areas we’re going to be opening up. They’ll be targeted,” Reynolds said.
She later said some restaurants will be able to open May 1.
Reynolds was asked (again) when the peak of COVID cases will be, and she was reminded that since March, Iowans have been told to expect the peak “in two or three weeks.”
Iowa Department of Public Health deputy director Sarah Reisetter again answered the peak that case counts will continue to increase with more testing. “The peak is going to occur when our case counts start coming back down. That’s the definition of a ‘peak’. I think as we get more access to testing and more people have the opportunity to go through that process, I think we’ll see that happen here over the next two to three weeks.”
Reynolds was asked what the revised budget she’ll submit to the legislature when it reconvenes May 1 will look like. She answered she’s still working on it, and said in response to another journalist that Iowa was “fiscally healthy” before the pandemic.
At the opening of the press briefing, Reynolds reported 521 new cases for a total of 4,445. There were 2,712 tests done during the reporting period, bringing the total of Iowans tested to 31,973. One in every 98 Iowans has been tested.
The increase in positive tests related to testing of essential workers. Thirty percent of Iowa’s positive cases are related to manufacturing and 15 percent is related to healthcare workers.
Eleven more Iowans died of COVID-19 during the 24 hours ending Thursday at 10 am. An adult 81 or older died in Bremer County; one adult age 41-60 and two adults age 61-80 died in Black Hawk County; two adults age 61-80 and two adults 81 or older died Linn County; two adults 81 or older died in Polk County; and one adult age 61-80 died in Scott County.
Information on the current status of COVID-19 in Iowa is available at coronavirus.iowa.gov
