Iowa issued a statewide mask mandate due to rise in COVID-19 cases.

Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds has issued a statewide mask mandate after a recent spike in COVID-19 cases.

Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds has issued a statewide mask mandate after a recent spike in COVID-19 cases.The Governor of Iowa signed a proclamation that mandates Iowans over the age of 2 to wear masks in indoor public spaces after a record 5,500 new corona cases were confirmed in a single day. She also prohibited indoor gatherings of 15 people or more and outside gatherings of 30 people or more. Earlier she had recommended that Iowans wear masks in public, but it was not mandatory. She said that the pandemic in Iowa is worse than ever as 52000 new cases emerged in just one week. Iowans have become complacent, and hospitals are on the brink as they cannot handle more patients. To reduce the burden on hospitals and offer better care for patients with other illnesses, she announced additional measures to better manage the situation. She announced that wearing a mask will be compulsory for everyone, including visitors, especially indoors when unable to maintain social distance measures.

The COVID-19 pandemic has given rise to a lot of potentially dangerous misinformation. For reliable advice on COVID-19 including symptoms, prevention and available treatment, please refer to the World Health Organisation or your national healthcare authority.