Iowa’s COVID-19 public health proclamation expires Tuesday night

DES MOINES, Iowa (KWQC) - Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds is planning to let the state’s COVID-19 emergency declaration end at 11:59 p.m. Tuesday.

The emergency proclamation was first issued to enable health mitigation measures during the state’s response to the COVD-19 pandemic on March 17, 2020. In an announcement earlier this month, the governor said it will be allowed to expire on Feb. 15.

“We cannot continue to suspend duly enacted laws and treat COVID-19 as a public health emergency indefinitely. After two years, it’s no longer feasible or necessary,” Reynolds said. “The flu and other infectious illnesses are part of our everyday lives, and coronavirus can be managed similarly.”

As a result, the state’s two COVID-19 websites, coronavirus.iowa.gov and vaccinateiowa.gov, will be decommissioned on Wednesday. Information on data collection will be available online through the Iowa Department of Public Health and federal resources, Reynolds said.

Iowa and health care providers will also continue to report COVID-19 data, as required by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The Test Iowa at Home program that allows Iowans to receive PCR home test kits will continue, but as testing supplies increase, the state will reassess the need for the program.