Governor closes salons, spas, tattoo parlors; asks for opening of day care centers for children of essential workers

Iowa's salons, barber shops, medical spas, massage therapists, tattoo shops, tanning facilities and swimming pools are the latest businesses mandated to close by Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds as the state's number of positive novel coronavirus cases continues to rise.

Those closures, as part of her State Public Health Emergency Declaration proclamation signed Sunday, was to go into effect at 10 p.m. that evening and last until March 31. She is open to extending those closures as needed, said her spokesperson, Pat Garrett.

Reynolds' proclamation also suspends foreclosures on residential, commercial and agriculture properties and relaxes some professional licensing rules to allow more medical professionals to be able to practice, including suspending professional license expiration and in-person continuing education requirements.

Also Sunday, Reynolds and Iowa Department of Human Services Director Kelly Garcia asked schools, churches or community centers to open day care centers for children of essential service workers.

The department will conduct an on-site visit to ensure the facility is age-appropriate and can accommodate groups of 10 children, and that all caregivers have passed background checks. The department will also help locate caregivers to staff the pop-up locations, Garcia said.

Reynolds said the Council Bluffs Community School District will open a child care program Tuesday that is expected to serve 120 children from preschool through sixth grade for free.

Waterloo and Van Meter are working on setting up their own programs, too, she said.

Reynolds defended her decision to keep child care centers open in Iowa, despite her recommendation that schools close for four weeks.

"The reality is if child care closes, parents of young children who are employed in essential services — such as health care, emergency services, food production and supply and manufacturing — won’t be able to work," Reynolds said. "And now more than ever, we need these essential services up and running."

Instead, DHS issued new guidance Friday advising parents working from home to keep their children with them. It also directed day care providers to take the temperatures of children as they arrive each morning, sending home those who are running fevers.

► More: The latest on coronavirus in Iowa

► More: Here's a map of the coronavirus cases in Iowa

► A letter from our editor: As Register staff works remotely, here's how you can help us cover the far-reaching coronavirus story

DHS also encouraged day care providers to limit the number of people in a room to 10 or fewer; to keep children farther apart; report clusters of absences; remove plush toys; and send all blankets home to be cleaned daily.

"As a grandmother of 10 young children, I share your concern during this very uncertain time," Reynolds said. "Our children are precious, and we want to always ensure their health and safety."

DHS has published on its website a map of child care openings for essential workforce.

As of Sunday afternoon, it showed 4,183 registered child care providers with 6,915 available child-care slots.

There are now 90 positive cases of the novel coronavirus in Iowa — half of which were announced this weekend. COVID-19 is now in 24 counties.

On Sunday, it was announced that 22 additional Iowans had tested positive for the disease. On Saturday, Iowa saw its largest single-day increase, with 23 new cases. A total of 1,215 people have tested negative through the State Hygienic Lab, a number that does not include tests performed by national labs.

The number of positive tests worldwide climbed past 350,000 Sunday, and the virus has been responsible for more than 14,000 deaths to date. Every state in the U.S. had recorded at least one case, as had more than 160 countries.

Reynolds said again Sunday she is not considering a "shelter in place" order that would limit all nonessential movement in Iowa.

She has, however, asked any Iowan who has traveled for business or spring break — domestically or internationally — to "strongly consider" self-isolating for 14 days to stop the spread of the coronavirus. The governor has also ordered the closure of many venues where people congregate and recommended schools close for weeks.

Over the weekend, mayors from Des Moines, Iowa City, Coralville and North Liberty asked residents to voluntarily stay home — leaving only for essential items like groceries, medicine and health care — for at least two weeks to help reduce the spread of the novel coronavirus.

Des Moines Mayor Frank Cownie also waived all enforcement at downtown parking meters, recognizing that residents in that area are likely parking on city streets as they work from home or have been laid off.

Kim Norvell covers growth and development for the Register. Reach her at knorvell@dmreg.com or 515-284-8259. Your subscription makes work like this possible. Subscribe today at DesMoinesRegister.com/Deal.