DES MOINES — Iowa’s partial mask mandate, public health restrictions on businesses and limits on public gatherings are being lifted.
On Friday afternoon, Gov. Kim Reynolds updated her COVID-19 public health emergency declaration. The update, effective Sunday, eliminates most restrictions enacted to combat the spread of the coronavirus.
Starting Sunday:
- Iowans will no longer be required to wear face coverings in public when around other people for at least 15 minutes.
- Businesses will not be required to limit the number of customers or keep them socially distanced.
- There will no longer be a limit on the number of people who can gather in public.
In the updated proclamation, Reynolds encourages vulnerable Iowans — those 65 or older, or with serious health conditions — to “limit their activities outside of their home,” including trips to establishments where other people gather.
Reynolds also encouraged all Iowans to limit their interactions with vulnerable people and to “exercise particular care and caution” when in public.
Reynolds’ actions to lift mitigation strategies comes as COVID-19 numbers have been steadily decreasing in Iowa and as the state’s vaccination rollout is hitting its second phase, but also as a new, more contagious strain of the virus has been detected here.
