More:Gov. Kim Reynolds extends mask requirements, gathering limitations for another week
On Thursday, she told Jeff Angelo, a talk show host on WHO-AM (1040) and former Republican state senator, that she is "cautiously optimistic" coronavirus activity will recede enough to allow those restrictions to ease.
"We've tried to be very balanced in that we didn't shut businesses down, but we limited hours and it still has an impact on the livelihoods," Reynolds, a Republican, said. "So we're going to look at it next Wednesday and hopefully we'll be able to continue to dial back."
She said previously that she is watching the trends so that she can alter the state rules to be more or less restrictive based on virus activity.
The Iowa Department of Public Health on Thursday morning reported an additional 99 Iowans had died from COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus. Most of those Iowans died in the last two weeks of November.
As of Thursday morning, 3,120 Iowans have died from COVID-19 since March. Almost 1,200 of those people died in November following spike in cases in late October and early November.
More than 252,000 Iowans have tested positive for coronavirus at some point in the pandemic, and IDPH reports 177,800 of them as recovered. IDPH reported 863 Iowans hospitalized Wednesday morning with COVID-19, down from a high of more than 1,500 in mid November.
Iowa reports another 99 COVID-19 deaths, 2,246 confirmed coronavirus cases
Gov. Kim Reynolds renews her push for Iowa schools to offer option for in-person learning
Nick Coltrain is a politics and data reporter for the Register. Reach him at ncoltrain@registermedia.com or at 515-284-8361.