Iowa state health officials have reported another jump in confirmed cases of the coronavirus, as well as another death today, as the state continues to see a rise in hospitalizations.
The state health department's virus tracking site showed 343 cases and one death had been confirmed in the 24-hour period from Sunday to 10 a.m. today. Total deaths since the beginning of the outbreak stood at 793 today and total number of cases reached 38,907.
This morning, 221 people were hospitalized for the virus — a number that has been slowly increasing over the last few weeks. The increasing number of cases prompted hospitals in the Des Moines area to stop allowing most visitors.
Siouxland District Health says today that there are 14 new COVID-19 cases in Woodbury County and no additional virus-related deaths, keeping the county's death toll at 46. There have been 3,463 positive COVID-19 cases in the county.
School districts that plan to reopen classrooms in the fall are wrestling with whether to require teachers and students to wear face mask. The issue has divided urban and rural schools and yielded widely varying guidance.
The divide has also taken on political dimensions. In Iowa, Democratic-leaning cities like Des Moines and Iowa City have required masks to curb the spread of the coronavirus. Smaller, more conservative communities have left the decision to parents. There has been no concrete decision on mask wearing in the Sioux City Community Schools as of yet.
Many states are calling for teachers to wear masks. Some will require masks for students. Many other states are leaving the decision to local officials.
