Deadly surge forces state leaders to tighten anti-virus restrictions

IOWA CITY, 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 mask-wearing and social distancing and fear the new restrictions 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 iming in the wrong direction. Hosposed a limited one Tuesday, pitalizations, deaths and cases becoming the latest GOPholdout are all skyrocketing in the country.tochangecourseonfacecoverings. At the same time, she More than 73,000 people — an claimed “there’s science on both all-time high — were hospitalsides” about whether masks reized with the virus in the U.S. as duce the spread of the coof Monday, an increase of over ronavirus. 3,000 from just a day earlier,

Meanwhile, Sen. Chuck according to the COVID TrackGrassley, R-Iowa, said Tuesday ing Project. More than 166,000 that he tested positive for the newly confirmed infections were coronavirus. At 87, he’s the longreported Monday, according to est-serving Republican senator. Johns Hopkins University. The

With Thanksgiving coming up average number of new cases per next Thursday, public health day has more than doubled over officials are bracing for a holidaythe past few weeks. fueled surge. Doctors are urging The virus is blamed for more families to stick to small gatherthan 1.3 million deaths worldings. wide, including over 248,000 in

The key measures of the the U.S. Deaths per day in the U.S. country’s effectiveness in manhave climbed to an average of aging the pandemic are all head- 1,145, up from 828 two weeks ago.