The COVID-19 pandemic was confirmed to have reached the U.S. state of Iowa in March 2020. The first known cases were three individuals who had traveled on a cruise in Egypt before returning home to Johnson County on March 3. Initially, case clusters were focused at meatpacking plants and congregate care facilities. By late October, community spread had become a concern, and some areas of the state had reported over 20% test positivity. A headline stated that "Iowa hospitals fear overwhelming patient surge if coronavirus cases continue to climb."
The COVID-19 pandemic was confirmed to have reached the U.S. state of Iowa in March 2020. The first known cases were three individuals who had traveled on a cruise in Egypt before returning home to Johnson County on March 3. Initially, case clusters were focused at meatpacking plants and congregate care facilities. By late October, community spread had become a concern, and some areas of the state had reported over 20% test positivity. A headline stated that "Iowa hospitals fear overwhelming patient surge if coronavirus cases continue to climb."
Timeline
March 2020
March 8 – The first confirmed COVID-19 cases in Iowa were announced — three individuals who had traveled on a cruise in Egypt before returning home to Johnson County on March 3.
March 9 – Governor Kim Reynolds signed a Proclamation of Disaster Emergency.
March 15 – Governor Reynolds recommended closing schools for four weeks. The state worked on developing legislation to provide child care during the emergency, including food for low-income students. The total number of confirmed coronavirus infections in the state increased to 22.
March 25 – Number of cases in Iowa reached 145, and one fatality reported in Dubuque County.
March 26 – Governor expanded upon previous COVID-19 disaster proclamations to halt non-essential surgeries, and non-emergency dental appointments.
March 27 – Governor's office asserted: "[The] Proclamation suspends all nonessential or elective surgeries and procedures until April 16th, that includes surgical abortion procedures".
March 29 – Number of cases in Iowa reached 336, and a fourth fatality reported in Linn County.
April 2020
April 1 – Number of cases reached 549, and the number of fatalities reached 9.
April 2 – Governor Reynolds ordered schools to remain closed through the end of April.
April 4 – Number of cases reached 786, and the number of fatalities reached 14.
April 9 – The Iowa Department of Public Health (IDPH) has been notified of 125 additional positive cases for a total of 1,270 positive cases. There have been an additional 882 negative tests for a total of 13,703 negative tests to date, which includes testing reported by the State Hygienic Lab and other labs.
April 10 – As of April 10, there were 14,565 negative COVID-19 test results reported by the State Hygienic Lab and other labs, and a total of 1,388 positive cases. Members of the White House including Jared Kushner, Kellyanne Conway, Joseph Grogan, Dr. Deborah Birx, Dr. Anthony Fauci and other White House coronavirus task force members receive from Robert Redfield the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) guidance documents and decision trees to re-open communities, however, the CDC guidance and decision trees for communities including meat packers was rejected for the White House's "Opening Up America Again Plan" that is later released in early May.
April 17 – Governor Kim Reynolds announced that Iowa schools remain closed for the remainder of the school year.
April 20 – As of April 20, there were 22,661 negative COVID-19 test results reported by the State Hygienic Lab and other labs, and a total of 3,159 positive cases, with 79 deaths attributed to COVID-19.
April 23 - Sheriff Tony Thompson of Black Hawk County went on the Rachel Maddow Show to describe his frustration with health conditions at a Tyson meat plant.
April 27 – Governor Reynolds announced that 77 counties will remove some business restrictions on May 1 while the counties of Polk, Dallas, Black Hawk, Linn, Louisa, Tama, Johnson, Bremer, Benton, Allamakee, Dubuque, Fayette, Marshall, Jasper, Iowa, Poweshiek, Scott, Washington, Muscatine, Henry, Des Moines, and Woodbury will maintain full business restrictions until May 15 because they were hard hit with infections.
May 2020
Early May - More than 1,000 of 2,800 workers at Tyson Foods' largest pork processing plant, in Waterloo, tested positive for the virus or antibodies, and at least 5 workers died. An additional 951 workers at the Columbus Junction and Perry plants tested positive. Safety inspectors had declined to inspect the Perry plant.
May 6 – Hy-Vee began limiting meat purchases to four packages. Reynolds met with US President Donald Trump at the White House to discuss the COVID-19 pandemic and her response.
May 7 – As of May 7, there were a total of 11,059 positive cases, with 231 deaths attributed to COVID-19.
May 13 – Governor Reynolds announced that reopenings of restaurants, libraries, and fitness centers will be extended to the entire state, and also include barbershops, tattoo parlors, massage therapists, and salons, as of May 15.
May 14 – As of May 14, there were a total of 13,675 positive cases, with 318 deaths attributed to COVID-19.
May 28 – As of May 28, there were a total of 18,502 positive cases, with 500 deaths attributed to COVID-19.
June 2020
June 13 – For the first time since early April, no COVID-19-related deaths were reported.
June 14 – As of June 14, there were a total of 23,879 positive cases, with 651 deaths attributed to COVID-19.
June 23 – Some bars and restaurants in the Des Moines area, and in the college towns of Ames and Iowa City closed due to increases in cases.
July 2020
July 22 - One of the first outbreaks at a meatpacking plant, in early April, was much more severe than initial reports indicated. Officials at the Tyson Foods pork processing plant in Columbus Junction told inspectors that 522 employees were infected; however, the Iowa Department of Public Health publicly confirmed only 221 cases in its May 5 news conference.
August 2020
August 7 – Vacation destination Dickinson County, home to Lake Okoboji and the Iowa Great Lakes region, had 377 cases, up from only 8 on Memorial Day. Mask wearing was unpopular among local residents.
August 17 – The Iowa Department of Public Health website admits to an ongoing "software error that artificially lowers the number of new confirmed cases."
August 18 – Drake University sent 14 students home for violating guidelines on on-campus and off-campus gatherings.
August 19 – Inmate transfers from county jails into the state prison system were suspended temporarily due to cases among 59 inmates and 6 staff members the state's intake center, the Iowa Medical and Classification Center in Coralville.
August 23 – The White House urged Iowans to be required by mandatory order to wear face masks statewide; however, Governor Reynolds resisted issuing a mandatory order which would be unenforceable saying that Iowans should do the right thing and voluntarily wear face masks. Previously, Reynolds barred local ordinances in Iowa from issuing a mandatory mask requirement.
August 24 – The University of Iowa had 111 cases.
August 25 – Johnson County had positivity rates over 30% for the third day in a row.
August 27 – Iowa had a positivity rate during the last 24 hours of over 18%. Governor Reynolds ordered bars, breweries, and nightclubs closed in six highly populated counties: Black Hawk, Linn, Johnson, Story, Polk, and Dallas until September 20 due to Iowa having the highest rate of increase in positive coronavirus cases in the United States. In Iowa, if an establishment, including breweries, tasting rooms for wineries and distilleries, pubs, taverns, bars, and nightclubs, which "prepares and serves food, the sale of which results in at least half of the establishment's monthly revenues, may reopen or remain open" as a restaurant following approval from either a local food licensing authority or the state's Department of Inspection and Appeals; however, alcohol sales must end at 10 pm, bars in venues such as theaters and casinos must close, and since late June 2020, carry out cocktails are allowed.
August 28 - Iowa's test positivity rate "jumped to a record 79.43 percent for the preceding 24 hours", as antigen tests were added to state totals.
August 31 - The White House announced that Iowa had the highest rate of positive coronavirus cases in United States. The New York Times listed both Ames and Iowa City as the United States' worst metro hotspots per capita at 8.2 cases and 7.6 cases per 1,000 over the last two weeks and both are in the top four metro areas in the United States with the highest rates of increase over the last two weeks. 28 Iowa counties, including Polk, Johnson and Story, were listed as "red zones." In an August 30 report released on August 31, The White House again called for a mandatory mask requirement for Iowa because Iowa has the fifth from highest positivity rate in the United States and highest number of new cases per capita in the United States at 232 per 100,000 which is much higher than the national average of 88 per 100,000.
September 2020
September 2 - A news story stated that "nearly half of an Iowa National Guard battalion that came to train at Camp Ripley in Minnesota this summer became sick with or were exposed to COVID-19." During an evening stop in Black Hawk County in Iowa, Senator Joni Ernst stated that she is "so skeptical" of the official coronavirus numbers and deaths alleging hospitals and physicians of inflating COVID related information to gain more money through reimbursements.
September 3 – Surgeon General Jerome Adams stated that he agreed with Governor Reynolds not issuing a mandatory order to wear face masks statewide in public "... because people in the Midwest are going to do the right thing" and that the recent spike is only in the 18-25 age group with all other age groups have lowering numbers of positive cases in Iowa.
September 3 – At least 107 schools in the state had reported cases.
September 4 – Iowa had a positivity rate during the last 24 hours of over 15%.
September 7 – The scope of the outbreak among the Iowa National Guard unit in Minnesota had been "misstated," according to the commander of Camp Ripley. He said fewer than 60 out of 500 soldiers were sent home, principally due to exposure risks, rather than as active cases.
September 12 - Iowa had a positivity rate during the last 24 hours of over 14%, had 425 ICU beds available and 744 ventilators (76.64%) available, and had 90 COVID-19 patients in ICU with 35 COVID-19 patients on a ventilator.
September 16 - Bars and nightclubs reopen at 5 pm in Black Hawk, Linn, Polk, and Dallas counties but Story and Johnson county bars remain closed until Sunday September 20.
September 19 - Iowa had a positivity rate during the last 24 hours of almost 15%, had 409 ICU beds available and 778 ventilators (80.21%) available, and had 76 COVID-19 patients in ICU with 38 COVID-19 patients on a ventilator.
September 26 - Sixteen counties reported a positivity rate greater than 15% over the previous 14 days.
September 29 - The hospitalization rate increased, with 61 new admissions of virus patients in 24 hours, for a total of 390 virus hospitalizations. 100 patients were the ICU, with 31 on ventilators. There were 18 deaths.