DES MOINES, Iowa — Even as much of Iowa continues to reopen, leaders from Polk County are still sounding cautious Thursday about the impact of COVID-19 on its residents and businesses.
"We understand the pain of the last two months of isolation. But please do not make that a wasted effort," Polk County Supervisor Matt McCoy said. "We continue to work on a recovery and resiliency plan. It will focus on health, mental health, basic needs, nonprofits, and the business community and local government."
As of 3:30 p.m. Thursday, there are 3,930 positive cases of COVID-19 in Polk County, along with 118 reported deaths from the virus.
Helen Eddy, the head of the Polk County Health Department, said the county "is not out of the woods yet." She sounded an alarm about COVID-19, following recent actions to loosen restrictions by Gov. Reynolds' administration.
"We are also concerned that Polk County will see a resurgence it in cases as a result of reopening, and this past weekend's Memorial Day gatherings," Eddy said. She said positive cases jumped by 572 within the last week.
With restrictions on bar activities expiring this week, Thursday's press conference also featured a representative from one of Des Moines' biggest nighttime attractions, the Court Avenue District.
Tom Zmolek shared some of the actions being taken to help safely reopen the entertainment area downtown.
"We would like to remind our patrons that it is not business as usual. All of our establishment's capacities are limited to 50% of their normal numbers, and some locations have chosen not to reopen yet," Zmolek said.
To watch the full press conference, watch above this article.
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