In a joint meeting today (August 5, 2020) between the Linn County Board of Supervisors and the Linn County Board of Health, the two boards unanimously approved a proclamation (PDF) requesting Governor Reynolds give counties and cities in Iowa authority to enact localized responses to the COVID-19 pandemic such as the legally enforceable use of face coverings.
The proclamation is also supported by the mayors of 11 of Linn County’s 18 cities, including: Cedar Rapids, Central City, Ely, Fairfax, Hiawatha, Marion, Mount Vernon, Palo, Prairieburg, Springville, and Robins.
“Confirmed cases of COVID-19 continue to rise in Linn County. We have to do more to curb the spread of this disease. By being united in our message, our hope is that this proclamation will move the Governor to give local elected officials the authority and ability to mandate masks to help ensure the health and safety of our residents and communities,” Linn County Board of Supervisors Chair Ben Rogers said.
Health authorities, including the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), the Surgeon General of the United States, and the Linn County Public Health Department have recommended the use of face coverings as a means of preventing the spread of COVID-19 particularly when used universally within a community.
According to the Iowa Department of Public Health (PDF), wearing cloth face coverings in public places where social distancing measures are difficult (like grocery stores and pharmacies) can help further slow the spread of COVID-19.
Linn County Public Health has recommended the use of cloth face coverings since April 3, 2020, when the White House Coronavirus Task Force and CDC recommended that persons wear a cloth face covering in public to slow the spread of COVID-19. This recommendation is based on evidence that a person with COVID-19 can transmit the virus to others before they develop symptoms or have an asymptomatic infection. Recent scientific evidence and case studies in hospital and community settings show universal use of cloth face coverings can prevent people who have COVID-19 from spreading the virus to others.
The following data points for Linn County are current as of 11:30 a.m. August 5, 2020:
Confirmed Cases: 2,153
Confirmed Cases by Age Group:
- 18-40: 43%
- 41-60: 29%
- 61-80: 15%
- Over 80: 7%
- 0-17: 5%
Confirmed Cases by Week:
- 6/28/20-7/4/20: 101
- 7/5/20-7/11/20: 110
- 7/12/20-7/18/20: 167
- 7/19/20-7/25/20: 235
- 7/26/20-8/1/20: 257
For the most up-to-date information on confirmed COVID-19 cases (by age, gender, race, and ethnicity), a map of confirmed cases by zip code, a graph of confirmed cases by date, positivity rates, hospitalizations, recoveries, and deaths in Linn County, visit Linn County’s COVID-19 dashboard at: https://c19-linncountygis-linncounty-gis.hub.arcgis.com/.