Schools in Iowa are recommended to be closed through April 30, 2020, in response to the coronavirus pandemic. (photo/Cindy Hadish)
Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds updated her recommendation for school closures due to the coronavirus pandemic, to now extend through April 30.
Reynolds made the announcement at a press conference on Thursday, April 2, 2020.
She also noted that two more Iowans have died of COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus, with a total of 11 statewide.
The two most recent deaths were Linn County residents between the ages of 61 and 80.
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Reynolds first recommended that schools close for four weeks on March 15.
The Iowa Department of Public Health reported 66 new cases of COVID-19 on April 2, bringing the total in Iowa to 614 positive cases.
Illustrating the pandemic’s reach to all ages, new cases in Iowa include one child between the ages of zero to 17 in Allamakee County, as well as 21 adults between the ages of 18 to 40, throughout the state.
To date, 8,054 negative cases have been reported in Iowa, with still only a fraction — about .27 percent — of the state’s population of 3.18 million people being tested.
Globally, the number of deaths attributed to COVID-19 is nearing 50,000, according to the World Health Organization, with almost 1 million confirmed cases.
The United States leads in the number of confirmed cases of the virus, with 213,144 as of April 2, and 4,513 deaths, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control & Prevention.
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So are they going to have to do summer school then
The school districts have to submit plans to the state regarding online teaching, worksheets, etc., that they are employing to meet educational standards. If those are met, students don’t have to make up those days.