Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press at 4:45 a.m. CDT

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The Iowa prison system has had its first case of an inmate testing positive for the novel coronavirus. State officials confirmed the case Saturday as the number of cases statewide and COVID-19-death continues to rise. The inmate had been transferred Thursday from Henry County to the Iowa Medical and Classification Center in Coralville. KWQC-TV reports that the inmate is in stable condition and in isolation while staff traces the inmate’s contacts. The state Department of Public Health reported another 10 COVID-19-related deaths Saturday, increasing the total to 74, and up 15.6% since Friday. The total number of confirmed coronavirus cases rose 7.8%, to 2,513.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — More than a dozen Iowa elected officials implored Tyson Fresh Meats to close their Waterloo pork processing plant, saying the coronavirus is spreading among workers and is endangering not only employees of the plant but the entire community. Mayors, county officials and state legislators signed the letter that was sent to Tyson on Thursday. The 19 officials said at a Friday news conference they had only received confirmation from the company that it had received the letter but no other action .The officials also accused Gov. Kim Reynolds of misleading Iowans on the seriousness of the outbreak and for failure to take action to close the plant.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — An Iowa sheriff is urging Tyson Foods to temporarily shut down its plant in Waterloo as coronavirus cases spike in Black Hawk County. The Des Moines Register reports Sheriff Tony Thompson says he’s concerned that COVID-19 will overrun his community even more if the Tyson Foods plant doesn’t take proper precautions. He says they need to deep clean that facility and restart it on a clean slate. His comments came shortly before Gov. Kim Reynolds announced that 138 people had tested positive for the virus and one person has died with the virus in Black Hawk County.”

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds says she will not call schools back into session this year. Reynolds says the state has not reached its peak of positive coronavirus cases yet, and data doesn’t indicate it’s safe to reopen schools.. The announcement also cancels spring sports activities. State education officials say they will release information on June 1 about summer sports. Reynolds reported 191 new positive cases for a state total of 2,332 cases. Four more people died, bringing the state total to 64 deaths.

CORALVILLE – The Iowa Dept. of Corrections was notified overnight that the COVID-19 test results for an inmate at the Iowa Medical and Classification Center (IMCC) were returned positive.  The inmate was a new admission to IMCC, and arrived from Henry County on Thursday, April 16th. As part of IMCC’s efforts to mitigate the spread of COVID-19, all new admissions are kept in an intake quarantine cohort for 14-day observation.

While in this quarantine observation, the inmate began displaying symptoms consistent with COVID-19. Medical staff then conducted a test on the inmate, which was returned as positive. The inmate is currently in medical isolation, and a thorough contact tracing is taking place to identify any inmates or staff that may have had exposure since his arrival.

The inmate is described as an adult (age 18-40), and was sentenced to prison for drug crimes. Due to privacy laws, no further information can be provided on the inmate. Their family has been notified. The inmate is in stable condition but being monitored by IMCC medical staff around the clock.

The department has been preparing for the eventuality of COVID-19 in the prison system for more than a month. An outline of the steps that have been taken can be found at doc.iowa.gov/department-corrections-steps, and more information related to COVID-19 in the DOC can be found at doc.iowa.gov/COVID19.

For members of the public with questions about COVID-19 in the prison system, a hotline is available during business hours Monday-Friday by calling (515) 373-5457.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Iowa has reported another 10 COVID-19-related deaths* and saw its total number of confirmed coronavirus cases rise 7.8% to more than 2,500. The Iowa Department of Public Health reported Saturday that it had been notified of an additional 181 cases since Friday. The number of COVID-19-related deaths jumped to 74, up 15.6% since Friday.

The department said the deaths included one adult from 41 to 60 years old and two adults 81 years old or older in Linn County in eastern Iowa. The county, is home to Cedar Rapids and the state’s second most-populous county and has the most confirmed coronavirus cases, with 332.

*The additional 10 deaths were reported in the following counties:

• Appanoose County, 1 older adult (61-80 years)
• Linn County, 1 middle-age adult (41-60 years), 2 elderly adults (81+),
• Louisa County, 1 older adult (61-80 years)
• Muscatine County, 1 elderly adult (81+)
• Polk County, 1 elderly adult (81+), 2 older adults (61-80 years)
• Tama County, 1 middle-age adult (41-60 years),

(Clarinda) — Officials with the Iowa Department of Public Health have confirmed another positive COVID-19 case in Page County. The case was a patient between 61-and 80-years of age, who contracted the virus through travel. The individual was recovering at home in isolation. The latest case of COVID-19 brings the total number in Page County, to four.