Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds announced during her Friday COVID-19 press conference that the state will begin a measured approach to lifting some restrictions next week. According to Reynolds, farmers’ markets will be allowed to begin operations for the season and elective medical procedures can resume starting Monday, April 27. However, limitations on how the reopening will proceed do apply. Farmers’ market vendors will focus primarily on the sale of locally grown food products, and attendees are required to comply with physical distancing guidelines at these locations. The decision to offer elective procedures will be left up to individual hospitals and clinics. In order to offer these services, providers must have an adequate personal protective equipment (PPE) supply, a plan to maintain that supply without reliance on the state stockpile and preserve the ability to treat COVID-19 patients. Reynolds indicated additional restrictions will likely be lifted as early as the start of next week. The full proclamation can be found beneath this story. The announcement came the same day the Iowa Department of Public Health (IDPH) confirmed 521 new COVID-19 cases, the largest daily increase to date, pushing Iowa’s total to 4,445. State health officials also recorded an additional 11 coronavirus-related deaths, marking 107 deaths to date. As for the listening area, Audubon, Carroll and Greene Counties have recorded a single case each, all of which are considered recovered. Guthrie County stands at five, Crawford at eight and Shelby County at nine. For more information on COVID-19 in Iowa, follow the links below.
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