More restrictions lifted as COVID-19 cases begin to level

     Additional social distancing restrictions were lifted this week as Iowa slowly rolls back COVID-19 preventive measures.

     On Wednesday, May 6, Governor Kim Reynolds announced that restrictions on dentists, campgrounds, drive-in movie theaters, tanning facilities, and medical spas will be partially lifted. Starting on May 8, dentists in the state may resume providing services so long as they comply with reopening guidelines adopted by the Iowa Dental Board. Like hospitals reopening for elective surgeries, dentists must have an adequate inventory of personal protective equipment (PPE) and have access to a reliable supply chain that does not rely on state reserves.

     Similarly, the statewide reopening of campgrounds, drive-in theaters, tanning facilities, and medical spas must be met with the social distancing requirements seen in other reopening businesses, such as keeping patrons six feet apart from each other and frequent cleanings.

     In addition, fitness centers, malls, and retail stores in the 22 counties where COVID-19 has hit hardest have been allowed to re-open under the same conditions as those businesses in the other 77 counties. The governor previously allowed the limited re-opening of businesses in counties that had been less stricken by the virus, noting that it was unfair for those counties to be held to the same standards as those with a high number of cases.

     Reopening businesses in the counties that continue to see sharp increases in COVID-19 cases has drawn criticism as these counties don't meet the recommended guidelines for reopening. However the governor said that the re-openings were a matter of fairness as businesses in other counties have been allowed to reopen.

     "Iowans will make the decision whether they want to go to the facility or not," said Reynolds. "If you don't feel comfortable going to these establishments, then don't go."

     As was the case last week, laid-off employees of businesses in these 22 counties will risk losing their unemployment benefits if they choose not to return to work when called back.

     As of Sunday, May 10, there have been 11,959 total confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the state, increasing the 9,169 total from the week prior by 30%. This means that 23% of all of Iowa's COVID-19 cases since the start of the pandemic were found in that seven day period. This is the first week since the start of the pandemic that the number of new cases has decreased from the previous week.

     The vast majority of these cases continue to be found in the 22 counties that have been hit the hardest by the virus, though the rate of new cases in the other 77 has started to spike.

     Last week was also the deadliest week since the start of the pandemic. An additional 81 deaths last week were attributed to the virus, bringing the total death count to 265. Of the fatal cases, approximately 119 have been elderly (age 80+), 111 have been older adults (60-80), 28 have been middle aged (40-60), and six have been young adults (20-40).

     Roughly half of the state's deaths have been among residents of Iowa's long term care facilities. The number of outbreaks in long term care facilities slightly increased this week, bringing the total number of outbreaks to 30, up from 27. There are now 1,069 reported cases of COVID-19 among long term care residents and staff, still accounting for about 9% of the state's total cases.

     Testing capability continues to increase as more TestIowa sites open up across the state. In addition to sites in Des Moines and Waterloo, new test sites have been established in Sioux City, Cedar Rapids, Denison, and Davenport.

     "This has been a tremendous effort in a short amount of time and it's going to make a big difference for Iowans," said Reynolds.

     Those interested in receiving a drive-through test at one of the locations can take an assessment at TestIowa.com. Iowans have taken the assessment more than 300,000 times since the site launched to determine if they qualify for testing. As demand for tests still greatly exceeds supply, tests are being prioritized for essential workers, particularly those that live in high risk areas.

     Though the accuracy of TestIowa tests have been called into question due to issues with similar programs out-of-state, Reynolds says that all tests done in Iowa have been validated by the state hygienic lab regardless if they are from the TestIowa program or elsewhere.

     The state completed more than 20,000 tests last week, bringing the total number of tested Iowans to 74,174. Roughly 16% of tested Iowans have tested positive.

     In total, approximately 585 elderly, 1,696 older adults, 4,452 middle aged adults, 4,963 young adults, and 264 children have tested positive for the disease.

     On Sunday, May 10, there were 413 hospitalized COVID-19 patients in the state. Nearly half of the state's 3,890 inpatient beds are available, along with three-quarters of the state's 470 ICU beds.

     There are 105 COVID-19 patients on ventilators. The state has 701 ventilators available.

     Part of the rationale for social distancing guidelines was to prevent the state's medical system from becoming overwhelmed with cases and running out of critical resources. As the state currently seems capable of withstanding an influx of COVID-19 patients, the priority has now shifted from management of resources to managing virus activity through elevated testing in virus hotspots.

     Finally for schools, districts looking to make up for lost instruction time have been granted leeway on when to start the 2020-21 school year. The governor has suspended the requirement prohibiting schools from starting their calendar year before August 23 if a district adopts a calendar as part of their "Return to Learn" plan.

     However, while schools will be able to start classes before August 23, this additional instruction time will not count towards the 180 day/1080 hour instruction time requirements. Schools will still have to fit in the normal yearly instructional time requirements as they would with an August 23 start date.