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Why did Iowa's Governor roll back all COVID-19 restrictions on businesses, gatherings, including ending the mask mandate (this starts Sunday)? 
Iowa Numbers:
5th in deaths by population
49th in vaccinating population
Hospitalization rate has dropped 450% since the peak
Iowa Numbers:
5th in deaths by population49th in vaccinating populationHospitalization rate has dropped 450% since the peak
In making today's decision via Proclamation of Disaster Emergency, @IAGovernor relied heavily (but not exclusively) on hospitalization data.
Her office confirmed that with me tonight. It's also consistent with what she told me a couple weeks ago:
Her office confirmed that with me tonight. It's also consistent with what she told me a couple weeks ago:
That positivity rates aren't always reliable but hospitalization data is. She said that's why she instituted the first mask mandate in November, when hospitals were exceeding capacity. Quote below:
"That’s why I took the actions that I did in November... I always tried to base it on hospitalizations. The positivity rate, while it’s one piece of what we need to look at, it really depends on who’s testing how many are testing."
-Gov. Reynolds Jan. 22, 2021
-Gov. Reynolds Jan. 22, 2021
