Iowa issues mask mandate, restrictions as cases rise
Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds announced her state will issue a mask mandate for all indoor activity starting midnight Tuesday.
Reynolds said in a news conference that the state recorded more than 52,000 new cases in the past two weeks, and that one in every four current hospital patients has COVID-19.
"In late October hospitalizations were approaching the 100-a-day mark," the Republican governor said. "Now they have topped 200 a day."
The governor's order "limits indoor social, community, business and leisure gatherings or events to 15 people," and limits outdoor gatherings to 30 people, according to a news release.
"This includes wedding and funeral receptions, family gatherings and conventions," the governor's office said in a statement.
The order will remain in effect until Dec. 11 at the earliest, according to the governor's office.
As of Monday, 188,392 Iowans have tested positive for the virus and 1,991 residents have died from the disease, according to the state's Health Department.