Deadly surge forces state leaders to tighten anti-virus restrictions
IOWACITY, Iowa— The deadly rise in COVID-19 cases across the country is forcing state and local officials to adjust their blueprints for fighting the virus, with Republican governors adopting mask mandates — skeptically, in at least one case — and schools scrapping plans to reopen classrooms.
The steps face blowback from those who question the science behind maskwearing and social distancing and fear the newrestrictions will kill off more jobs and trample on their civil liberties.
In Iowa, Gov. Kim Reynolds had pushed back against a mask mandate for months but imposed a limited one Tuesday, becoming the latest GOP holdout to change course on face coverings. At thesametime, she claimed “there’s science on both sides” about whether masks reduce the spread of the coronavirus.
Meanwhile,
Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, said Tuesday that he tested positive for the coronavirus. At87, he’s thelongest-serving Republican senator.
With Thanksgiving coming up next Thursday, public health officials are bracing for a holiday-fueled surge. Doctors are urging families to stick to small gatherings.
The key measures of the country’s effectiveness inmanaging the pandemic are all heading in the wrong direction. Hospitalizations, deaths and cases are all skyrocketing in the country.
More than 73,000 people— an all-time high — were hospitalized with the virus in the U.S. as of Monday, an increase of over 3,000 from just a day earlier, according to the COVID Tracking Project.
More than 166,000 newly confirmed infections were reported Monday, according to Johns Hopkins University. The average number ofnewcases per day has more than doubled over the past fewweeks.
The virus is blamed for more than1.3 million deaths worldwide, including over 248,000 in the U.S. Deaths per day in the U.S. have climbed to an average of 1,145, up from 828 two weeks ago.
Since the Nov. 3 election, Republican governors in hard-hit Iowa, North Dakota and Utah have reversed course and put in place requirements on masks, and others have extended or expanded earlier orders.
InUtah, dozens of people opposed to a statewide mask mandate protested outside the home of Gov. Gary Herbert. In South Dakota, the state with the highest rate of COVID-19 deaths per capita inNovember, Republican Gov. Kristi Noem has no plans to issue mask requirements.