Two of Iowa's Democratic members of Congress are calling on Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds to issue a stay-at-home order as the state confirms more cases of the novel coronavirus. U.S. Rep. Cindy Axne issued a letter this week calling for the statewide mandate, and U.S. Representative Abby Finkenauer issued a similar letter letter last week. They are among a chorus of voices calling on Reynolds to take more aggressive action limiting Iowans' social interactions in an effort to stem the spread of COVID-19, the respiratory illness caused by the coronavirus. Iowa currently has more than 425 confirmed cases of the Coronavirus and six Iowans have died from the virus. There are four cases in Woodbury County.
Nebraska is reporting 153 cases of COVID-19 and three deaths. South Dakota has 101 confirmed cases of the virus.
South Dakota lawmakers met into the early morning hours today to pass temporary emergency measures as the state braced for the onset of the global COVID-19 pandemic, though conservative lawmakers shied away from granting broad powers to government officials during the crisis.
In an unprecedented move, legislators used conference calls to remotely convene and vote on legislation that laid out parts of Republican Gov. Kristi Noem's strategy for limiting the spread of the coronavirus while keeping some semblance of economic activity in the state.
The number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 in southeast South Dakota continued to grow Monday, as the state health department classified Yankton County as being minimal to moderate risk for community spread of the novel coronavirus.
The city of Vermillion, meanwhile, issued an emergency ordinance Monday that suspends the on-site consumption of food and beverages at restaurants, bars, food courts, coffeehouses and similar businesses to prevent the spread of COVID-19. The move came as the South Dakota Department of Public Health eported a new case of coronavirus in Clay County, bringing the total to three.
Clay borders Yankton County, which reported its first four cases of the coronavirus cases over the weekend.
