Gov. Kim Reynolds says restaurants and bars in Iowa may return to normal business hours but patrons must still wear masks when not seated for eating or drinking, and groups sitting together must be at least six feet from one another…this is all under a new state proclamation effective on Thursday. The restriction on the number of people who may gather at one time is lifted but groups or individuals must distance themselves from one another. Reynolds’ revised coronavirus pandemic emergency proclamation comes as the state has seen the spread of the virus and hospitalizations slow in the past month, and vaccine being distributed to front-line workers this week. Iowa reported an additional 14 deaths on Wednesday and 1,986 new confirmed cases in the previous 24 hour period.
Despite that, the city of Des Moines will limit outdoor gatherings on public property to 30 people during the holiday season to slow the spread of the coronavirus. Mayor Frank Cownie announced this week that the limits will be effective immediately. Events such as parades, festivals and rallies had been limited to 250 people since July. The emergency proclamation also limits recreation centers to operating at 50% capacity. The mayor said in a news release this week that he hoped continued compliance with safety protocols, combined with the arrival of a vaccine, will allow the city to get back to normal routines soon.
A panel of experts that will help decide which groups get the coronavirus vaccine first in Iowa has been holding closed meetings, circumventing the state open meetings law. The Iowa Department of Public Health convened the Infectious Disease Advisory Council to develop recommendations on how to use the vaccine in the coming weeks when supplies are limited. The panel will recommend which groups of health care workers, essential workers and people at risk for severe COVID-19 illness should be considered higher priorities than others. Department interim director Kelly Garcia says she does not believe the council is bound by the open meetings law. She says she wants the group to have a “free flow of conversation” outside public scrutiny.
Tyson Foods says it has fired seven top managers at its Waterloo pork plant after an independent investigation into allegations that they bet on how many workers would test positive for the coronavirus. The company said the investigation led by former U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder revealed troubling behavior that resulted in the firings at the plant, which is the company’s largest. Tyson Foods President and CEO Dean Banks says the “behavior exhibited by these individuals does not represent the Tyson core values, which is why we took immediate and appropriate action.” Banks traveled to the Waterloo plant on Wednesday to discuss the actions with employees.
Meanwhile, the family of a 65-year-old Fonda, Iowa man is suing Tyson after he died of COVID-19 while working at the company’s pork plant in Storm Lake. Michael Everhard died June 18, three weeks after he contracted the virus. His family contends in a lawsuit that Tyson didn’t implement proper safety precautions to protect Everhard and other employees from the virus. Several Tyson executives at the plant are also named in the lawsuit, which was filed on behalf of Everhard’s three children. A Tyson spokesperson said the company has implemented several safety measures that meet or exceed federal guidelines designed to slow the spread of the virus.
The annual Iowa Land Value Survey shows the value of Iowa farmland increased by an average of 1.7% in the past year despite severe weather, trade uncertainty and the coronavirus pandemic. The survey was led by Iowa State University economics professor Wendong Zhang and released Tuesday. It found the average value of an acre of farmland was $7,559. That’s an increase of $127 since 2019. Farmland value was aided by low interest rates, strong demand for land and billions of dollars in federal payments to farmers.
A northwest Iowa police chief is suing the Iowa Law Enforcement Academy for injuries he suffered from a 2018 carbon monoxide leak that exposed dozens of recruits to unsafe levels of the toxic gas. Justin Lyman, who is now police chief in the town of Newell, was among dozens of trainees sleeping in a dormitory on the academy’s Johnston campus when its ventilation systems failed. In an amended petition filed this week, Lyman said he and his roommates woke up light-headed and one of them began having a seizure after the colorless, odorless gas spread. He and 70 others were treated at a hospital. The lawsuit alleges the academy was negligent and seeks compensation for his injuries.
