Des Moines Register
Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds on Tuesday disputed new federal guidance that vaccinated people should resume wearing masks indoors in public when in areas with high coronavirus spread. The governor said the federal advice is counterproductive to vaccination efforts and "not grounded in reality or common sense."
Minutes later, Reynolds issued a statement criticizing the federal advice.
"I’m concerned that this guidance will be used as a vehicle to mandate masks in states and schools across the country, something I do not support," Reynolds said in a statement issued minutes after the CDC announcement Tuesday afternoon.
The CDC's announcement once again highlighted Iowa's political divide over masks and mask requirements, as well as frustrations over slow-moving vaccination numbers. While Republicans took issue with the new guidelines, Iowa Democrats criticized Republicans' pandemic policies, including the new Iowa law that prohibits school districts from requiring students and staff to wear masks in the fall, as the CDC's new guidance recommends.