(Des Moines)– The Iowa Department of Public Health today (Tues.) announced it’s adjusting quarantine guidelines for schools. They agency’s director, Dr. Caitlyn Pedati outlined the change during a news conference this (Tues.) morning, saying it’s based on several recent studies including one they conducted among some school districts in Sioux county where a sizable outbreak of COVID-19 is currently underway…
“And we were able to compare a district that was wearing face coverings to three districts that were not. And the three districts that did not make use of those face coverings actually saw a 30 to 130 percent higher rate of new covid cases.”
She went on to explain further the change in the protocol being made…
“So taking all this information together we’re able to update our recommendation which is going to say that for non-healthcare non-residential settings, individuals who when the case and close contact have been wearing a face covering consistently and correctly for the entire time will not need to self quarantine at home. However we will still want them to self monitor which means wearing your face covering and keeping a close eye on your symptoms.”
Even though the new protocol is being established, Governor Kim Reynolds again today (Tues.) said she will not mandate use of face masks either in schools or any where else…
“Well you know I have to put some trust in the superintendents that are running these schools and the school board and so you know they know it’s in their best interest to do it right and so I assume that they’re working with their team and their staff. They want this to work, they want their kids to be safe, so we just have got to believe they’re doing the right thing. I do believe they’re doing the right thing. And honestly I think the numbers are proving that out. We’ve been in school over a month in a lot of these school districts and they’re doing it safely and responsibly. They’re taking appropriate actions when they need to and we continue to monitor that.”
The Governor also said she has no plans as of now to implement any mitigation plans in northwest Iowa, which is seeing a spike in cases among all age groups.
