Iowa governor in ‘modified quarantine’ after Pence meetings

Published 2:31 pm Monday, May 11, 2020

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IOWA CITY, Iowa — Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds was in partial quarantine Monday because she may have been exposed to the coronavirus, even as she made plans to lift more restrictions that were intended to slow the spread of the disease.

Reynolds said she would follow a modified quarantine plan because she may have been exposed to the virus last week while visiting the White House or meeting with Vice President Mike Pence two days later in Iowa. At least two staff members at the White House have tested positive, including a valet to President Donald Trump and Pence’s spokeswoman.

The governor said she would have most of her aides work from home, have minimal interactions with others, wear a mask at times and practice social distancing.

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Reynolds met with Pence and Trump at the White House last Wednesday to discuss Iowa’s response to the pandemic. She also accompanied Pence during his visit to Iowa on Friday, greeting him at the airport and joining him at meetings with religious leaders and food executives. Although Pence had learned that his spokeswoman was infected, he didn’t wear a mask during his visit. Neither did the governor or Iowa’s two U.S. senators, who also met with Pence.

During both meetings, Pence called Iowa a “success story” despite having some of the nation’s largest outbreaks, in communities around meatpacking plants.

The state reported Monday that its official death toll rose by six, to 271, and that roughly 400 more citizens had tested positive.

The number of people hospitalized with COVID-19 dipped below 400 for the first time in eight days. The University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics announced that a 27-year-old pregnant woman was discharged over the weekend after doctors used an advanced form of life support to heal her lungs.

Reynolds, a Republican, said that she had a facial covering with her but didn’t wear it during Pence’s visit because they practiced social distancing “the entire time.” She said she didn’t have contact with Pence’s aide at the White House, but that she would take the extra precautions “out of an abundance of caution.”

The governor said she tested negative for the coronavirus after getting a rapid test Monday morning and that she felt healthy. She said that she would be tested every day before entering the State Emergency Operations Center in Johnston, where she’s been working, and that she would take her temperature throughout the day.

Reynolds announced her modified quarantine at a news conference in which she excluded pool reporters as a safety precaution. She didn’t wear a mask but indicated she would in private meetings.

The governor said that she would make an announcement Tuesday “about some of the restrictions that will be eased” this week.

Malls, retail stores, gyms, church services, campgrounds and farmers markets have been allowed to reopen or resume under new rules in recent days.

But restaurants remain shut in 22 counties under an order that expires Friday. Statewide, bars that do not serve food, salons, barbershops, movie theaters, casinos, museums, swimming pools and other businesses remain under closure orders.

Reynolds indicated that some of those restrictions will be lifted Friday while others will be extended through May.

The governor said people should have the confidence to return to work because the state has increased testing, particularly around nursing homes and manufacturing facilities. She said the state processed an average of 3,100 tests per day last week, and hoped to soon meet her target of 5,000.