Coronavirus Update - March 27, 2020

Good afternoon. We’ll go ahead and start this afternoon’s press conference again with an update on the number of cases of COVID-19 in Iowa. As of yesterday, we have 56 new positive cases for a total of 235 positive cases in Iowa. We had 765 negative tests today for a total of 3,740 negative tests. We have 32 Iowans who are hospitalized as of last evening and I am sorry to report that we have had two additional deaths and our thoughts and prayers go out to their families at this time. The total number of tests that we have available through the state hygienic lab is 970.

It was ten days ago that the first public health emergency declarations I signed went into effect. We continue to monitor and evaluate the impact of the actions we've taken as well as additional steps that might need to be taken in order to flatten the curve and to slow the spread of COVID-19. From schools to businesses to state government this pandemic has caused Iowans to rethink how we do things and all of us on how we serve our customers. Iowa courts and judicial system have not been immune from those decisions they perform such a critical role in ensuring that justice is delivered, protecting the rights of Iowans in performing a range of Civil Procedure proceedings and overseeing everything from substance abuse to child custody. And these are not services that can simply be turned off. Today I'm pleased to have Chief Justice Christensen join us to give an update on the judicial branch's work and operations in light of the COVID-19 crisis. The Chief Justice is joining us remotely from her home where she is doing her part to mitigate and slow the spread of the virus. And with that I will turn it over to you, Chief Justice.

[Chief Justice speaks]

Thank you, Chief Justice. And I also want to just say thank you to you and the judicial system for all that you're doing to make sure that we can ensure access to justice during these times. Also, today I have asked the Department of Education Director Ann Lebo to provide an update on the work being done between the state public school districts and independent schools to ensure that Iowa's K-12 students continue to have opportunities to learn. And with that Ann?

[Ann Lebo speaks]

I want to thank Ann and her team and schools all across the state for reimagining education for Iowa students during this unprecedented time. Your work is so important and it's very much appreciated. As we end the week, I think it's important to acknowledge that even during these uncertain times Iowans can still count on each other. And the stories of individuals and families and businesses stepping up to help each other are truly inspiring and I want to share just a couple with you today. NSK in Clarinda is making bearings that Ford Motor Company is using to retool parts of its F-150 truck line to create much-needed respirators for the health care industry at this critical time. At DOT weigh stations across the state the Iowa Motor Truck Association and Iowa restaurants are providing free lunches for truck drivers who remain hard at work keeping our economy moving and ensuring our grocery stores are stocked and getting critical medical supplies delivered to where they need them the most. And finally, to support local restaurants and its communities, Premier is picking up the tab for its employees once a week when they order carryout drive-through or delivery for lunch in their local service territory. So, Iowans, they have a can-do spirit that will make a difference during these very challenging times and that is such a small sampling of the stories that we're receiving daily of what Iowans and businesses and families are doing across this state in these really uncertain times. So, thank you for continuing to do your part and we're going to continue to do ours and as I've said every day, we're going to remain calm, we're going to do what we're supposed to do, we're gonna, get through this and we're gonna hopefully get things back to normal as soon as we can. And with that we will open it up for questions.

Reynolds, K. K. [DMRegister]. (2020, March 27). Gov. Kim Reynolds updates Iowans on the COVID-19 outbreak in Iowa (3.27.20) [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VYV2zhgUY4g]. Retrieved on May 16, 2020 from https://www.youtube.com/user/DMRegister.