Iowa governor ending COVID public health emergency Feb. 15
By DAVID PITT
Associated Press
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds says she is calling an end to the coronavirus public health emergency, a move that will limit the release of state public health data but reflects the governor’s long-held belief that it’s time to move on from pandemic restrictions. Reynolds said in a statement Thursday that the state cannot treat COVID-19 as a public health emergency indefinitely. Iowa Department of Public Health Director Kelly Garcia says the state will report COVID-19 data similar to other respiratory viruses by providing weekly updates on its website of positive tests, cases by county and deaths since March 2020. Information about how many Iowans are fully vaccinated also will be provided.