Gov. Kim Reynolds says shelter-in-place topic 'divisive' while defending Iowa's coronavirus response

Gov. Kim Reynolds continued to defend her decision not to issue a mandatory order that could keep more Iowans at home amid the coronavirus outbreak, arguing that her actions so far are keeping residents safe.

"This has become a divisive issue at a time when we must be united in our response to this crisis," the governor said at her Friday news conference.

Reynolds faces growing pressure in recent days to issue a mandatory directive that a number of medical experts believe would help slow the spread of COVID-19, the respiratory disease caused by the virus. But Reynolds has repeatedly said that her efforts over several weeks — including the closure of schools and some businesses — are the equivalent of such an order.

Earlier Friday, state public health officials announced another 85 Iowans have tested positive for COVID-19, bringing the total to 699.

However, limited testing and specific guidelines for who can be tested means the total number of sick Iowans is likely much higher, according to some doctors. As of Friday, there have been 8,764 negative coronavirus tests. Eighty Iowans with COVID-19 are currently hospitalized.

Reynolds has pushed back on calls for a so-called shelter-in-place or stay-at-home order, terminology that can mean different things around the country.

"What matters is the substance in the order," she said, "not the name." 

Reynolds noted that other states with mandatory orders have similar directives to the ones she has already issued, including closing many businesses, schools and limiting social gatherings. She has also limited gatherings to 10 people or fewer, and asked businesses to let employees work from home when possible.

"We have taken significant and incremental steps to mitigate the spread of the virus since we identified our first case in Iowa. ... We were ahead of many states in our response efforts and we continue to dial up our mitigation efforts, again, based on data that was presented from the experts in the Iowa Department of Public Health," she said.

Reynolds also estimated about 80 percent of Iowa's workforce would be considered essential under any mandatory order because of sectors in the state such as food production, manufacturing, finance and insurance.

"That's some of the issues that you have to deal with when you're making this decision," she said.

Reynolds also said the negative effects of such an order would affect mental well-being and she indicated it could increase domestic violence: "We know that this has a significant impact on Iowans."

Reynolds offered her remarks just hours after the Iowa Board of Medicine, a state regulatory group made up of doctors, voted unanimously to recommend that Reynolds issue a mandatory order.

Reynolds said she's waiting for a formal letter from the board, which was being drafted Friday. She said she hopes to connect with members of the board soon.

"I am always interested in getting and hearing the feedback of the medical community," she said.

On Friday, a top official within the Iowa Department of Public Health was also identified as a key point person in helping to craft an internal matrix for the state that Reynolds is using to consider additional coronavirus mitigation efforts, including any mandatory orders to stay home.

Reynolds identified Dr. Caitlin Pedati, the state medical director and epidemiologist, as the main state official who helped create the internal file that was released publicly Thursday. Reynolds said Pedati is in daily consultation with state epidemiologists and experts in Iowa and across the country.

Reynolds' top aide told lawmakers this week that public health officials will release projections next week that will offer more information about the effects of coronavirus on Iowa. It's unclear whether that will include information about expected infections or deaths.

Reynolds’ system for determining a shelter-in-place order or other restrictions is based on a 12-point scale that weighs age, hospitalization, population and long-term care outbreaks, according to the document. Each category has a maximum of three points. The proportion of cases requiring hospitalization, for example, must reach 15% before the maximum points are assessed in that category.

More:Internal document reveals Iowa's coronavirus benchmarks to issue shelter-in-place order

A shelter-in-place order would require Iowa to reach at least 10 points, according to the document.

The vast majority of states have issued shelter-in-place or stay-at-home orders, considered to be among the strictest directives to keep people home.

Dr. Anthony Fauci, one of the nation's key figures in its coronavirus response, said on CNN Thursday night that he didn't understand why every state wasn't operating under those guidelines.

"If you look at what's going on in this country, I just don't understand why we're not doing that," Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease, added on CNN. "We really should be."

Reynolds on Friday said Fauci "maybe doesn't have all the information" about Iowa's mitigation efforts.

More:Des Moines intends to close schools for rest of year, shift to online classes

Reynolds also defended the Iowa Department of Public Health's decision to regionalize the state into different sections when determining mitigation efforts.

Sarah Reisetter, the department's deputy director, said the so-called Regional Medical Coordination Center map mirrors service areas developed several years ago to strengthen regional coordination for responding to disasters. Local public health agencies, hospitals, emergency medical services providers and county emergency managers were involved in its creation, according to Reisetter.

Reisetter called the map "data-driven and based on information that tells the story of where patients in different parts of our state go to receive care when they are experiencing a health emergency."

The latest:Another 85 test positive for COVID-19 in Iowa, bringing state total to 699​​​​​​​

Nick Coltrain is a politics and data reporter for the Register. Reach him at ncoltrain@registermedia.com or at 515-284-8361. Your subscription makes work like this possible. Subscribe today at DesMoinesRegister.com/Deal.