Des Moines Mayor Frank Cownie. (file photo)
The mayor of Iowa’s largest city has rescinded the mask mandate he issued in Des Moines last August.
Des Moines Mayor Frank Cownie says he’s following CDC recommendations that those fully vaccinated no longer have to wear face coverings or maintain distance from others. Cownie is encouraging residents who haven’t been vaccinated to get a Covid shot.
Cedar Rapids Mayor Brad Hart says residents and visitors to Iowa’s second largest city who are fully vaccinated may resume activities without wearing a mask, except in places where mask wearing is required, including local businesses and workplaces. The governor issued a limited statewide mask mandate in November for indoor gatherings of 25 or more people in public places, but lifted it in early February.
The latest data on the state’s coronavirus website shows 1.2 million Iowans have had the single dose of Johnson and Johnson vaccine or both doses of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines. Iowa hospitals are currently treating 151 Covid patients.