State Has Metrics to Determine When Shelter In Place is Called For

DES MOINES, Iowa - The state has released a system to determine when a shelter in place order would be issued in Iowa.

The Department of Public Health (IDPH) has set-up four categories to measure the reach of the virus, including by age,hospitalization, population and long term care outbreaks. Find a full explanation of the system by IDPH here.

Each category has a maximum of three-points, and a shelter in place order would be called for if all four categories totaled 10 points.

That threshold has not been reached.

Iowa is now one of 11 states that have not issued a shelter in place or stay at home order.

Governor Reynolds has placed restrictions to limits gatherings and closed businesses and schools, but says she can't lock down the state or its residents in their homes. She has also said guidelines she's already issued at "equivalent" to orders in other states, and that residents are already doing a good job of social distancing.

A growing list of doctors, cities, counties and Democratic members of Congress and state legislators have called for Reynolds to issue a shelter in place order.


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