Iowa had its largest single-day increase in confirmed cases of COVID-19 today, adding 125 new positive tests for a total of 1,270.
Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds is urging residents to focus on what they can do individually to stop the spread of the coronavirus and less about whether she will order further restrictions to fight the outbreak.
Reynolds told reporters that “sometimes everyone is getting so hung up on the metrics” guiding the state’s response, including whether local stay-at-home orders may become necessary.
Reynolds said Iowans should focus “first and foremost” on increasing compliance with the social distancing guidelines she has emphasized, including staying home whenever possible.
The Iowa Department of Public Health reports COVID-19 claimed the lives of two more Iowans for a total of 29 in the state.
South Dakota's coronavirus cases have increased by 54 to 447.
The state department of health says 161 people have recovered.
The number of deaths is steady at six.
In Nebraska there are now 567 confirmed cases and 14 deaths.
Nebraska Governor Pete Ricketts signed a new proclamation for the next 21 days. The move includes 6 rules; stay at home, use social distancing, shop alone, help kids socially distance, assist older Nebraska and exercise at home.
Ricketts said it is not a stay-at-home order, but simply asking people "to do the right thing."
He is also closing salon and massage parlors statewide.
State officials estimate about 30 percent of the state’s workforce are working from home.
A historic surge in unemployment claims continued for all three Siouxland states.
The U.S. Department of Labor reported Thursday more than 60,000 people in Iowa filed for unemployment benefits in the week that ended April 4.
The labor department said the claims were a 20 percent increase over those filed in Iowa the prior week, which had been a high for the state.
Pandemic-related layoffs in several industries, from health care to food services, were driving factors behind Iowa’s claims.
Nebraska saw record unemployment as well with almost 27,000 new claims.
And, in South Dakota almost 8,000 filed last week.
A Smithfield Foods pork processing plant in South Dakota is closing temporarily after more than 80 employees tested positive for the coronavirus.
The company will suspend operations in a large section of the Sioux Falls plant on Saturday, then completely close Sunday and Monday.
Smithfield Foods plans to sanitize the plant and install physical barriers to “enhance social distancing.” The plant employs 3,700 people.
The Department of Agriculture says there's no evidence that the coronavirus is transmitted through food or its packaging.
Other meat processing plants have also closed temporarily because of outbreaks, including a Tyson Foods facility in Iowa where more than two dozen workers tested positive.
The Woodbury County Sheriff’s Office and the Sioux City Police Department want to warn to public about scams related to COVID-19.
There have been reports of scammers posing as members of the Department of Public Health.
These scammers will then try to gain access to a person’s home in order to “inspect it for COVID-19” and once inside, use the opportunity to steal from the home owner.
Scammers have also tried to get personal information from people posing as public health officials over the phone or internet as well.