Iowa Governor Reverses Course, Issues Mask Mandate As COVID-19 Cases Rise

As hospitals in Iowa fill up with COVID-19 patients amid a major surge in cases in recent weeks, Gov. Kim Reynolds, who once dismissed coronavirus restrictions as "feel-good" measures, has abruptly reversed course, issuing the state's first mask mandate.

Reynolds signed a proclamation requiring Iowans over the age of 2 to wear masks in indoor public spaces starting Tuesday.

"No one wants to do this. I don't want to do this," Reynolds, a Republican, said at a news conference Monday.

"If Iowans don't buy into this, we'll lose," she said. "Businesses will close once again, more schools will be forced to go online, and our health care system will fail."