Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds held a Press Conference this (Wednesday) morning, during which she said she is re-opening the Iowa Small Business Relief Program for bars and taverns closed by last week’s proclamation in certain counties. She said also she will not bow to calls for a mask mandate to help prevent the spread of COVID-19. With regard to the ISB Relief Program, Reynolds said those businesses in just a handful of counties will receive assistance.

The program will be run through the Iowa Economic Development Authority.

The Governor says she’ll wait to determine whether her move last week to close bars in six counties causes spread of the virus to slow before considering additional steps. Reynolds says the soaring number of confirmed virus cases is largely due to infection among young people, especially those in the college towns of Iowa City and Ames. That trend prompted her to order the closure of bars. Now, she says it’s best to wait to see if those moves will cause numbers to drop. If not, she will consider additional actions.

Reynolds was asked why she doesn’t act on a mask mandate, which the White House Task Force recommends for Iowa. The Governor said “We do know through the data, where the [highest positive test numbers] are at.” Johnson County is one of those hot spots. Reynolds said she’s added additional mitigation steps to control the rise in cases, and they are beginning to work.

She said she continues to emphasize “personal responsibility” in reducing the spread of the virus.