Des Moines considering re-instituting mask mandate in city buildings as COVID-19 cases rise

Des Moines is considering making people wear masks in all city facilities again as Polk County enters the latest wave in the COVID-19 pandemic.

In February, Des Moines dropped its mask mandate in city buildings, because the number of COVID-19 cases declined significantly. Community transmission at the time was "low" in Polk County, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Polk County is still classified as having "low" levels of community transmission, according to the CDC, but cases have risen significantly recently.

At a Des Moines City Council work session Tuesday, Mayor Frank Cownie said that the the number of cases now is 10 times higher than when the decision was made to lift the mask rule.

"Not that we're going to change our requirements today," Cownie said. "For all of us, let's keep our eye on it and know that we may need to put some requirements on masking back, at least in our own facilities."

In the last week there were 756 new COVID-19 cases, according to the Iowa Department of Public Health. There were 145 people hospitalized with COVID-19 in Iowa, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.  This was the fourth straight week with more COVID-19 patients in the state's hospitals.

Seventeen more COVID-19 deaths were reported by the Iowa Department of Public Health. Nola Aigner Davis,  a spokesperson for the Polk County Health Department, said that diseases ebb and flow in pandemics and that this is just the latest peak in cases.

"This is a very clear reminder that the pandemic is not over," Aigner Davis said. "It's still very real. People are still getting sick. We're still going to see deaths. Just because it is not at the forefront of our minds anymore does not mean it is going away."

Businesses and governments across the country have relaxed measures during the spring as cases trended downward. Iowa City and North Liberty lifted similar mandates on masks in February.

Facemasks became optional in Des Moines Public Schools in March. A federal appeals court ruled in March that sweeping mask mandates could not be enforced because of a 2021 law that prohibited local mask requirements in schools. 

Aigner Davis is worried about what might happen over the Memorial Day weekend as people travel more than they have in the past two years. Getting vaccinated is still the best way to prevent getting infected by COVID-19, she said.

"People are doing more things that they haven't done for the last two years because they feel safer, but that does not mean we let our guard down," Aigner Davis said.

Philip Joens covers public safety, city government and RAGBRAI for the Des Moines Register. He can be reached at 515-443-3347 at pjoens@registermedia.com or on Twitter @Philip_Joens. 

This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Des Moines Mayor says city may require masks in buildings again.