A chalk drawing on the parking ramp at Mercy Medical Center in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, shows support for health care workers. (photo/Cindy Hadish)

Iowa announced another record number of deaths from COVID-19, the respiratory illness caused by the novel coronavirus, while the number of confirmed cases statewide has surpassed 10,000.

Nineteen Iowans were reported May 5, 2020, to have died of COVID-19, surpassing the previous single-day high of 14 deaths on April 30, and bringing the state’s total number of deaths to 207.

Governor Kim Reynolds said most of the deaths are older Iowans and those who have been in long-term care centers, where already, 28 outbreaks have been reported statewide.

While touting Iowa’s proactive testing measures during her press conference on May 5, she added, “the fact is, we can’t prevent people from getting the COVID-19 virus.”

Reynolds partially lifted restrictions on businesses in 77 Iowa counties as of May 1.

Related: Majority of Iowa allowed to reopen

Reporters pointed out that case numbers are on the rise in some of those areas, but Reynolds would not say if she would reinstate restrictions on any of those 77 counties.

“We’re going to continue to watch trends and we’re going to continue to be proactive,” she said.

Counties where a public health emergency order remains in place through May 15 are: Allamakee, Benton, Black Hawk, Bremer, Dallas, Des Moines, Dubuque, Fayette, Henry, Iowa, Jasper, Johnson, Linn, Louisa, Marshall, Muscatine, Polk, Poweshiek, Scott, Tama, Washington and Woodbury. (See map, below.)

In the other 77 counties, the proclamation permits restaurants, fitness centers, malls, libraries, race tracks and certain other retail establishments to reopen in a limited fashion with public health measures in place. In addition, the proclamation lifts the restriction on religious and spiritual gatherings as long as churches and other gathering hosts implement “reasonable public health measures.” Read the full proclamation.

With 408 new confirmed cases reported May 5, Iowa has now had 10,111 total confirmed cases of COVID-19.

The Iowa Department of Public Health released a list of businesses that have reported outbreaks, with a criteria of having 10 percent or more of absenteeism or of the workforce testing positive for COVID-19.

Those businesses, towns and cases numbers are: Tyson meatpacking plant in Columbus Junction, 221 cases; Iowa Premium Beef in Tama, 258; Tyson in Waterloo, 444; Tyson in Perry, 730; TPI Composites in Newton, 131 cases.

Every person who has died of COVID-19 has a name. Read about one family’s heartbreak after COVID-19 took their sister’s life.