Governor Kim Reynolds is lifting the mask mandates she established in mid-November, when the number of Covid patients in Iowa hospitals escalated to levels not previously seen in the pandemic.
Gathering limits in businesses, like bars, are also lifted. Since November 10, Reynolds had required mask wearing in public indoor spaces and by the crowds at high school sporting events. She required masks in state-owned buildings that house executive branch agencies.
The governor had required masks to be worn inside certain businesses, like hair salons and barber shops. People attending funerals, weddings and other gatherings were required to socially distance.
All of those requirements end Sunday.
The governor’s updated public health proclamation “strongly encourages” businesses to take steps to ensure the health of workers and employees. It also encourages Iowans who are over the age of 65 or who have “preexisting medical conditions” to limit the time they spend outside their homes.