Iowa saw the biggest daily increase of COVID-19 cases today and six additional deaths.
Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds reported 189 new cases for a total of 1,710.
Eighty-six of those new cases are tied to an outbreak at a Tyson Foods pork processing plant in southeast Iowa. A total of 186 workers there have tested positive so far.
The plant temporarily suspended operations last week and will continue to stay closed until at least next week.
Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds says it still appears the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic won’t come until the end of the month.
In Nebraska, 18 people have died with 871 confirmed cases.
Meanwhile, Gov. Pete Ricketts rejected a call from two state lawmakers to resume normal school and business activities in Nebraska.
Ricketts said doing so could lead to a surge in new cases that might overwhelm the state’s hospitals. He will stick with the state’s current plan, which includes statewide school closures and restrictions on businesses and social gatherings until at least April 30.
The number of confirmed coronavirus cases continues to grow in South Dakota, with 121 new cases reported Tuesday, bringing the total number of cases to 988.
The vast majority of the cases — a total of 768 — are in Minnehaha County.
That's where the Smithfield Foods pork processing plant is located.
The plant is the site of one of the largest known clusters or COVID-19 cases in the country.
As of Tuesday, 438 Smithfield Foods employees were confirmed to test positive for the coronavirus.
Gov. Kristi Noem has resisted calls for a stay-at-home order.
And, there still appears to be a shortage of personal protective equipment for frontline health care workers in Sioux City.
The Siouxland Chamber of Commerce sent out a letter to member on Tuesday afternoon that there is a need for PPE, specifically disposable gowns or coveralls.
They were looking for area business with excess inventory to share.
Several airports in Siouxland are getting help from the U.S. Department of Transportation to help during the COVID-19 public health emergency.
Seventy-nine airports in Iowa received more than $70 million from the Federal government.
According to a news release from the FAA, Sioux Gateway Airport received almost $1.2 million. Other smaller regional facilities received $20,000 to $30,000 including airports in Mapleton, Sioux County, Sheldon, Storm Lake and Denison.
The Iowa Department of Transportation is allowing teens who want to learn to drive to take their instruction permit test at home, with parents or guardians proctoring the exam.
The Iowa D-O-T says 14-year-olds across the state have been able to take their instruction permit tests in schools. But since school buildings are closed through at least April 30th, they can’t go to those buildings to take the tests.
The D-O-T trusts parents to administer the exam with integrity. Parents must have a valid driver’s license to administer the test.
They have to agree to give the exam in a room where their teen can’t talk to anyone else and can’t use electronic devices.
The nation’s two largest rivers top a new listing of the most endangered waterways.
The Washington, D.C.-based conservation organization American Rivers on Tuesday released its list of the 10 most endangered waterways in the United States.
The Upper Mississippi River was cited as the most endangered, followed by the lower Missouri River.
For both rivers, American Rivers cited increasingly severe flooding driven by climate change.
Extreme flooding has become increasingly common on the Upper Mississippi. Meanwhile, parts of the Missouri River saw record and near-record flooding last spring in Missouri, Iowa, Kansas and Nebraska.