The beginning of this week brought reports of a surge in cases of coronavirus in western Iowa counties. On the same day Iowa Gov., Kim Reynolds, announced the loosening of restrictions on more businesses and recreational areas, Democratic candidate for the states 4th Congressional District, J.D. Scholten, pointed to the rise in cases as confirmation that reopening parts of the state was premature and a big mistake. “Crawford, Guthrie, Plymouth, Pottawattamie and Sioux Counties have more confirmed COVID-19 cases than the counties that remain ‘closed,’” Scholten says. “These rural counties are especially vulnerable to this disease because their populations are older, poorer and sicker, are less likely to be insured and have fewer medical facilities and healthcare workers.” Scholten is urging the governor to reclose non-essential businesses, like restaurants, fitness centers and stores, in all 99 counties and to authorize expansion of more targeted testing, particularly in those five counties. “I want Iowa to be open as much as anyone else,” Scholten adds, “but according to health experts, it’s too early, it’s too dangerous and potentially deadly right now.” His position is that it is cheaper for non-essential businesses to remain closed for the time-being rather than risk transmission of the virus, which he says would “turn short-term economic pain into long-term economic failure.”
