Des Moines, Iowa — The advocacy group Progress Iowa is calling for Governor Kim Reynolds to issue a statewide mask mandate to combat the rampant spread of COVID-19 in our state. The call for additional action by the governor comes as hospitalizations are at crisis levels, some schools are reporting that they are “holding on by a thread,” more than one hundred Iowa nursing homes are reporting outbreaks, and as the White House calls on Iowa to issue a mask mandate.

Matt Sinovic, executive director of Progress Iowa, says “Iowans are pleading for their lives — we need the governor to put politics aside and take clear, decisive action to halt this pandemic. Hospitals are begging for help. Some schools are saying they’re holding on by a thread. And we’re rapidly approaching two thousand deaths in our state.” Sinovic says President Trump’s White House is calling for a mask mandate. Research proves it will work. Polling, he says, shows Iowans will listen.

Sinovic says Research conducted by the University of Kansas demonstrated that in their state, “counties with mask mandates thwarted significant escalation in transmission of COVID-19 and counties operating without a requirement people wear a face covering suffered steady infection rate increases.”  He said also, new polling conducted by Public Policy Polling shows that 74% of Iowans who voted in this year’s election would follow a statewide mandate to wear a mask in public places to prevent the spread of COVID-19, and a majority of Iowa voters believe that the governor has not gone far enough with restrictions to stop the spread of the pandemic. Progress Iowa will hold a poll briefing today at 2 PM to discuss these results.

The White House coronavirus task force has also called for increased COVID-19 restrictions in Iowa, including a statewide mask mandate in their latest report. Sinovic says “Because of Governor Reynolds’ failed response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Iowa is rapidly approaching 2,000 deaths and more than 170,000 confirmed cases. We also have the third worst increase in cases among all states during the past two weeks, a more than two hundred percent increase. Hospitals are in critical condition, and not able to keep up with demand in Des Moines. Cedar Rapids schools are “holding on by a thread.” There are at least 100 outbreaks in long-term care facilities.”