(Radio Iowa) – Republicans on an Iowa House Committee have approved 82 rules for how the House operates, but they’ve rejected a rule requiring face masks be worn during the pandemic. Representative Brian Meyers, a Democrat from Des Moines, says wearing masks inside the Capitol is common sense. “This should not be controversial. I’m not sure why this is controversial,” Meyers says. “A lot of businesses require it. A lot of state government requires it.”

Republicans on the House Rules Committee rejected a mask mandate for the Capitol, but 69-year-old Representative Cecil Dolecheck, a Republican from Mount Ayr, said he thinks face coverings are appropriate and he’ll be wearing one in the Capitol.  “It seems to be a part of contention that really shouldn’t be,” Dolecheck said. “I hope everyone during this pandemic wears a mask and does their part to mitigate the spread.”

Dolecheck is from Ringgold County, the state’s second-smallest, population wise. It currently has the highest 14-day Covid positivity rate of any county in the state and, according to the state’s coronavirus tracking website, nine residents of Ringgold County have died of Covid.