DES MOINES, Iowa – U.S. Rep. Cindy Axne, D-Iowa, issued a statement after Gov. Kim Reynolds announced she was implementing a mask mandate and other mitigation measures in response to growing COVID-19 hospitalizations.
“The rapid uptick of new cases and staggering positivity rates in Iowa have put our state at the epicenter of this latest and deadliest surge of COVID-19 in the U.S. Our hospitals and health care workers are stretched to their limits, and the safety and prosperity of all Iowans are threatened by this outbreak.
“These new mitigation measures announced by Governor Reynolds tonight are a step toward slowing the unsustainable spread of this virus, but nothing will improve in Iowa if Iowans don’t take these new requirements seriously.
“As we near 200,000 positive cases and mourn almost 2,000 Iowans lost to this devastating disease, we have to recognize that will take every single one of us doing our part – wearing masks, foregoing large gatherings, and practicing social distancing – to reverse this alarming trend.”
