- Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds reversed several health restrictions in response to the pandemic.
- Reynolds said on Friday that Iowa residents no longer need to wear masks in public, for example.
- This update comes at a time when Iowan health officials say they have detected new variants of the coronavirus.
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Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds on Friday lifted several health restrictions designed to stem the spread of the coronavirus, the Omaha World-Herald reported.
Reynolds reversed health practices like wearing masks and limited capacity indoors, although officials noted in early February that the state saw three coronavirus mutations.
Reynolds said that Iowa residents no longer need to wear facial covers in public, according to the Omaha World-Herald. She also said that companies no longer need to limit the number of people entering their establishments and can discard social distance guidelines.
Meanwhile, Iowa county officials continue to ask for caution.
“Viruses constantly change through mutations, and new variants of a virus must occur over time. Sometimes new variants appear and disappear. Other times, new variants appear and persist. Several variants of the virus that causes COVID-19 have been documented in the United States and around the world during this pandemic, “said Dr. Caitlin Pedati, Iowa medical director and epidemiologist, in a Iowa Department of Public Health press release.
“Public health will continue to work with our partners in [the State Hygienic Lab] to monitor these trends and it is very important that we all continue to practice good public health protection measures, “said Pedati.
The state health department website encourages people to wash their hands frequently, maintain social distance and wear a mask close to others.
Reynolds’s office did not immediately return Insider’s request for comment.
Iowa has had at least 323,000 confirmed cases, according to the latest data compiled by Johns Hopkins University. Of these, more than 5,000 people died of coronavirus.
Last week, Iowa almost exceeded its record number of deaths, according to data from Johns Hopkins. Between December 6 and 12 of last year, the state recorded 492 deaths from the coronavirus. Last week, the state reached 490 new deaths.
Reynolds’ updates to the state’s coronavirus health restrictions are in effect as of Sunday, reported the Omaha World-Herald.
These new variants of the coronavirus can spread more easily and faster, according to the Iowa Department of Health. Scientists are still trying to find out whether the new variants lead to higher mortality rates.