Retail stores and malls in Iowa can reopen Friday following Gov. Kim Reynolds' latest public health proclamation.
Campgrounds, drive-in movie theaters and tanning facilities can reopen their doors in all of Iowa's 99 counties with certain restrictions.
The 22 counties that were under coronavirus restrictions will also be able to reopen gyms, malls and other retail establishments.
According to data released Friday by the Iowa Department of Public Health, 11,457 Iowans have tested positive for COVID-19 and 243 have died.
1-in-44 Iowans have been tested, 4,708 have recovered and 58,803 tests have returned negative.
To view the latest coronavirus cases dashboard, scroll to the bottom of this story.
May 8, 2020
After COVID outbreak, Iowa turkey plant to furlough workers
An Iowa turkey plant that is the site of a coronavirus outbreak says that hundreds of employees will be furloughed this fall due to the nation’s economic collapse.
West Liberty Foods says that roughly one-third of its 994 employees could be temporarily laid off for months, likely from from November through February. The company confirmed that 136 employees have tested positive for coronavirus, after mass testing at the West Liberty plant last week.
The company says restaurant closures have dramatically reduced demand for many of its products, resulting in a glut of supply.
Reporting by The Associated Press
Timeline pushed back for Iowa's first professional soccer team
USL Pro Iowa's efforts to bring professional soccer to the state have been pushed back.
The group posted to social media that the timeline for the team and it's multi-use stadium is "shifting".
"We will weather this storm — together," the team wrote on Twitter.
Pence says lack of religious services has been 'burden'
Vice President Pence told a group of faith leaders in Iowa of the “burden” of being absent from church and expressed the importance of resuming religious services that have largely been halted as officials sought to slow the spread of the coronavirus.
Pence spoke Friday with the religious leaders and Republican officials during a brief visit to the Des Moines area. He was set to speak later in the day with agricultural and food company executives. Pence said not attending religious services has “been a burden. It’s been a source of heartache for people across the country.”
He was set to speak later in the day with agricultural and food company executives.
Reporting by The Associated Press/David Pitt
Vice President Mike Pence meets with religious leaders in Urbandale
Pence's first stop during his Friday visit to Iowa is Westkirk Presbyterian Church in Urbandale.
There, he is meeting with faith leaders to discuss religious gatherings being held statewide during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Pence arrives in Iowa after staff member tests positive for coronavirus
A flight to Iowa transporting Vice President Pence, along with senators Chuck Grassley and Joni Ernst, was delayed Friday due to a staffer of Pence's testing positive for coronavirus.
The news was first reported by Bloomberg News.
According to CNN, the staffer was not on the flight to Iowa, but there was "concern about other people on the plane" coming in contact with the individual.
Outbreak at Tyson plant infected 1,031 workers, county says
Local officials say the coronavirus outbreak at a Tyson Foods pork processing plant in Iowa infected more than 1,000 workers, a greater number than the state has acknowledged.
Black Hawk County health officials say they have identified 1,031 workers at the Waterloo plant who have tested positive for coronavirus or for antibodies that show they had been infected. That would be about 37 percent of the plant’s 2,800 workers. The Iowa Department of Public Health announced Tuesday that 444 workers at the plant had tested positive.
The county health department said Thursday that the state’s figures include only those workers who tested positive during mass testing at the plant.
Reporting by The Associated Press
What is and isn't opening in Iowa starting Friday
Until at least May 15, stores and malls are only allowed to operate at half capacity and playgrounds and common seating areas will remain closed.
Restaurants in those counties, including Polk, still cannot reopen their dine-in areas.
Dentist offices will also reopen statewide this Friday. Guidelines for dentist offices resuming their practice have been outlined by the Iowa Dental Board. Staff must have proper personal protective equipment and a reliable stockpile of it.
Social and fraternal clubs in all counties except the 22 listed before will also be able to meet with loosened restrictions. Food and beverage services will be allowed under certain requirements outlined in the proclamation.
The governor also suspended alcohol license expiration one year from the date that the license was issued.
READ: Gov. Reynolds' full public health proclamation
Vice President Mike Pence travels to Iowa
Vice President Pence is scheduled to meet with faith leaders to discuss religious gatherings on Friday. Gov. Reynolds has allowed such gatherings to be held statewide, but social distancing must be practiced.
The vice president will then attend a roundtable at Hy-Vee headquarters in West Des Moines on "securing the food supply."
The visit comes just two days after Reynolds and other state officials met with President Trump in the Oval Office.
Jobless rate spikes to 14.7%, highest since the Great Depression
The U.S. unemployment rate hit 14.7% in April, the highest rate since the Great Depression, as 20.5 million jobs vanished in the worst monthly loss on record. The figures are stark evidence of the damage the coronavirus has done to a now-shattered economy.
The losses reflect what has become a severe recession caused by sudden business shutdowns in nearly every industry. Almost all the job growth achieved during the 11-year recovery from the Great Recession has now been lost in one month.
The collapse of the job market has occurred with stunning speed. As recently as February, the unemployment rate was a five-decade low of 3.5%, and employers had added jobs for a record 113 months. In March, the unemployment rate was just 4.4%
The government’s report Friday noted that many people who lost jobs in April but didn’t look for another one weren’t even counted in the unemployment rate. The impact of those losses was reflected in the drop in the proportion of working-age Americans who have jobs: Just 51.3%, the lowest on record.
Reporting by The Associated Press
Dallas County testing site opens for nursing home staff
A test site staffed by the Iowa National Guard opens Friday in Adel. The site is not open to the public but is designated for nursing home staff.
Coronavirus outbreaks at two different long-term care facilities have been reported in Dallas County.
The site is open Friday and Saturday.
This is not a TestIowa site.
Latest coronavirus dashboard (Source: Iowa Department of Public Health)
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