For more than a week, Gov. Kim Reynolds has allowed members of the public to register "for" or "against" a shelter-in-place order through a phone menu option on her office's constituent services line.

"If you are calling about a statewide shelter-in-place order, please press '1'," the recorded voice at 515-281-5211 says. After selecting that option, the phone system then prompts those who want to register for a statewide shelter-in-place order to press "1" and those wanting to register against one to press "2." Callers can also leave messages.

Iowa is one of just a handful of states that has not ordered residents to shelter-in-place or stay at home during the coronavirus pandemic. Such orders have meant different things in different states but essentially require people to stay home but for essential travel.

Reynolds has said the series of orders she has issued restricting businesses, schools and other places where people gather has essentially the same effect and she would rely on data to determine if additional orders are needed.

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The governor's spokesman said this week that the phone option is not an attempt at polling the public on such an order. He said Reynolds' decisions regarding any shelter-in-place or stay-at-home orders will continue to be based on experts' opinions.

"This is not a survey. It's not a poll," Reynolds spokesman Pat Garrett said. "We want people to be able to make their voices heard."

Reynolds' office added the question as part of an April 6 reorganization of the phone tree for the constituent services line, Garrett said.

Other menu options direct callers to information about unemployment benefits, small business assistance, legal assistance, school closures and distance learning, business closures and the federal stimulus package. Garrett said the governor's office wanted to create a menu of options for people to gather information on coronavirus resources from various state departments.

"It was really put in place to manage the high call volume," Garrett said. "As you can imagine, with the COVID-19 pandemic, we're getting more questions than ever before on various services to state government."

On social media, some people have been encouraging people to call the line and show their support for an order, which could limit residents from leaving their homes except out of necessity.

"Call Governor Reynolds at 515-281-5211 and urge her to to (sic) implement a statewide shelter-in-place order ASAP," read an April 6 Facebook post by the Iowa Senate Democrats, whose leadership joined Democratic leadership in the Iowa House in calling for a statewide shelter-in-place order earlier this month.

► More:The latest on the coronavirus outbreak in Iowa

It's unclear what, if any, role the phone line information has or will play into the governor's decision regarding a formal shelter-in-place or stay-at-home order.

The governor's office allows people ways to register their opinions on several issues, and Garrett said the governor wants Iowans to be able to make their voices heard. But, he said, she is going to "continue to rely on the experts" in making her determination.

The Des Moines Register has made a public records request for the data on how many people have registered for or against a shelter-in-place order through the phone line.

Reynolds has consistently said she is basing her decisions on metrics, including a system that divides the state into six regions and weighs the factors of age, hospitalization rate, infection rate and long-term care outbreaks on a 12-point scale.

A shelter-in-place order would require Iowa to reach at least 10 points. Reynolds has indicated she's open to issuing restrictions to certain parts of the state, rather than the entire state, if needed.

As of Wednesday, Reynolds said that region six, which includes northeast Iowa, was at a nine. Region one, which includes Des Moines and south-central Iowa, and region five, which includes southeast Iowa, were at an eight.

On Wednesday, Reynolds announced another four people had died of COVID-19 in Iowa, bringing the statewide total to 53. Another 96 people tested positive, bringing the statewide total to 1,995 positive tests. There have been 908 Iowans who have recovered from the virus so far.

► More:Updated COVID-19 maps and charts track cases and data in Iowa and across the U.S.

Ian Richardson covers the Iowa Statehouse for the Des Moines Register. Reach him at irichardson@registermedia.com, at 515-284-8254, or on Twitter at @DMRIanR.

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