Governor Kim Reynolds gave a special address to Iowans Monday evening urging them to help stop the spread of COVID-19 and announced new guidelines to limit Iowa’s growing coronavirus infection rate.

The new guidelines were issued via proclamation that went into effect at midnight Monday. The Iowa Department of Public Health issued a summary of the new enhanced Public health measures. The summary is below.

• • Mask Use: Indoor spaces open to the public & State executive branch buildings
    • Masks required when individuals are within 6 feet of one another for 15 minutes or longer, with certain exceptions
• • .Gathering Restrictions: Social, community, business, or leisure gatherings
    • No more than 15 people indoors and 30 people outdoors
    • These restrictions apply to wedding receptions, family gatherings, conventions, and other nonessential gatherings but do not apply to gatherings that occur during the ordinary course of business or government.
  • Sporting and Recreational Events: Youth and adult group sporting and recreational gathering are prohibited except for high school, college, and professional sports
  • High School Sports & Extracurriculars: Sporting, recreational, and extracurricular events
  • Only two spectators are permitted for each high school athlete, performer, or competitor, and must wear a mask and maintain 6 feet distance from other spectators.
  • Students can be closer than six feet and are not required to wear masks.
  • Restaurants and Bars: Restaurant or bar, including a wedding reception venue, winery, brewery, distillery, country club, or other social or fraternal clubs
    • Closed to in-person services at 10:00 pm
    • No bar seating
    • Masks required when not seated (while playing games, dancing, etc.)
    • Six feet distancing between groups
    • Groups are limited to 8 people unless a larger group is all the same household.
    • Seated when eating or drinking and limit congregating
  • Fitness Centers: Fitness centers, health clubs, health spas, gyms
    • Group fitness activities are prohibited.
  • Casinos & Gaming Facilities: Masks required except when seated to eat or drink
  • Closer/Prolonged Contact Establishments: Bowling alleys, pool halls, bingo halls, arcades, indoor playgrounds, children’s play centers
    • Closed to in-person services at 10:00 pm
    • Mask required when not seated to eat or drink.
    • Ensure that groups and individuals are six feet apart at an establishment
    • Groups are limited to eight people unless a larger group is all the same household.
  • Nonessential/elective surgeries: A hospital must reduce its in-patient, nonessential surgeries to a level that uses at least 50% fewer beds than it did on average during September 2020

Republican elected officials and the GOP chairman praised Reynolds for her leadership and supported her new guidelines.

Governor @KimReynoldsIA has taken a balanced approach to COVID throughout this pandemic. I appreciate her leadership during these challenging times. Together, we’ll get through this and emerge stronger than ever.

— Randy Feenstra (@RandyFeenstra) November 17, 2020

Thanks to @IAGovernor for her strong leadership throughout this pandemic. Just like she said tonight, we all should do our part — mask up, social distance, wash hands — to help tackle #COVID19 and keep our families and communities safe.

— Joni Ernst (@SenJoniErnst) November 17, 2020

Commonsense steps like the ones announced 2day by Gov Reynolds strike a good balance that encourages Iowans to go about their lives as safely & as normally as possible while keeping our state open for business. I encourage all Iowans to join in this effort

— ChuckGrassley (@ChuckGrassley) November 17, 2020

Tonight, Governor Reynolds is taking the appropriate actions to mitigate the surge of COVID-19 cases in Iowa and I support her actions.

I’m asking all Iowans to take the appropriate steps to protect themselves, their families, their friends, and their neighbors.

— Dr. Miller-Meeks (@millermeeks) November 17, 2020

Thank you Gov. Reynolds for continuing to show steady leadership as we navigate this pandemic. #IowaStrong

— Jeff Kaufmann (@kaufmannGOP) November 17, 2020