An average of more than 158,000 new cases are being reported every day in the country, the highest ever epidemic; More than 76,000 people have been hospitalized with the virus across the country, far more than previous peaks; And death is on the rise again. President Trump has reacted massively to governors’ epidemics, and the states in which the virus is emerging at the highest rates – North Dakota, South Dakota and Iowa – are all Republican-led.
In Iowa, Ms. Reynolds has been under pressure for months – the mayor, doctors, cutters, nurses and farmers, who feared the rising cases could disrupt the food supply chain in a state where agriculture and meat processing are key industries.
Like most other governors, Ms. Reynolds closed the business in the spring, but he resisted giving a stay-at-home order and did not need a mask to reopen communities.
Now, with the virus on the rise in the Midwest, an average of more than 4,100 people are testing positive for the virus every day in Iowa, an increase of 86 percent over the past two weeks. Hospital admissions have doubled in the same period, and now make up one in every four hospitals in the state for coronavirus patients.
The crisis took a significant step last week, when the Iowa State Board of Health, whose members heard Mr. Reynolds requested that he issue a mask order. The board’s vote itself was a sign that the growing toll of the virus forced people to change their minds. Board members, most of whom are Republicans and work in health care, have discussed face-to-face meetings in previous meetings but have not come out in favor of the mandate.
However, at a recent meeting they voted 7 to 2 to encourage the governor to make the order.
“Circumstances in Iowa have changed considerably,” said Chris Acheson, vice chairman of the board, who said he could only recall one other occasion in which members recommended their governor to the board for more than three years.
