Des Moines, Iowa — Governor Kim Reynolds says there’s no reason to fear COVID-19 any longer. She says COVID case numbers in Iowa are at a 10-month low, the number of Iowa hospital patients being treated for COVID is down 90 percent from the high point in November, and about half the state’s adults are fully vaccinated.
Reynolds says it’s time to lean FURTHER into normal and that’s why she has declared that the three-hundred extra dollars in federal benefits for unemployment Iowans will end June 12th.
House Democratic Leader Todd Prichard says the governor’s move is heartless and shows Reynolds is willing to use vulnerable Iowans as a stepping stone for her own political gain. Reynolds says regular unemployment will continue. And, to other critics who say more Iowans would join the workforce if businesses offered better pay, Reynolds says the market is taking care of that.
The governor says many state employees who’ve been working from home will be returning to their offices in the coming weeks. Reynolds says state agencies are assessing which jobs can be done remotely.
Reynolds says she plans to meet with businesses and organizations over the next few days to discuss how all can return to more normal work, business and entertainment experiences.
Reynolds made her comments late Wednesday morning during a news conference to highlight the state’s response to increased demand at food pantries and food banks. Officials say more than 400-thousand Iowans are food insecure and the need for food assistance is 50 percent higher than than it was two years ago.
