DES MOINES, Iowa – Gov. Kim Reynolds responded to news that with increased COVID cases of a new variant of the coronavirus, EG .5 and BA.2.86, restrictions and mask mandates are starting to reemerge in parts of the nation.
Reynolds, who was one of the first governors to lift pandemic restrictions implemented in response to the the COVID-19 pandemic, said such restrictions would not happen on her watch.
“Since news broke of COVID-19 restrictions being re-instated at some colleges and businesses across the U.S., concerned Iowans have been calling my office asking whether the same could happen here. My answer—not on my watch. In Iowa, government respects the people it serves and fights to protect their rights. I rejected the mandates and lockdowns of 2020, and my position has not changed,” she said in a released statement.
Reynolds signed a law in 2021 that prohibited mask mandates by schools, cities, and counties that was blocked in federal district court but saw that injunction was later lifted by the 8th Circuit Court of Appeals.
