|
 Governor Kim Reynolds, a Republican, signed the measure into law
just hours after it was approved by the state legislature. Texas and
Florida, which also have Republican governors, have passed similar
measures.
"The state of Iowa is putting parents back in control of their
child's education and taking greater steps to protect the rights of
all Iowans to make their own healthcare decisions," Reynolds said in
a statement.
A week ago, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
(CDC) said people vaccinated against COVID-19 no longer need to wear
a mask in most settings because the chance of them catching or
transmitting the airborne coronavirus is so low. But it still
advised face coverings be worn in schools, medical settings and
public transit.
The decision by Texas, Florida and Iowa to ignore some of the
guidance comes after a year in which many conservative political
leaders have cast mask mandates as an erosion of individual liberty
rather than a public health issue.
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 Some Democrat-led states, such
as New York and Connecticut, have adopted the
CDC advice and said vaccinated people are no
longer bound by mask mandates, though
unvaccinated people must still wear them if they
cannot distance themselves from others. Those
states also have not stopped individual
businesses from requiring visitors to wear
masks. In his Tuesday executive
order, Texas Governor Greg Abbott said schools must scrap any mask
requirements by June 4. However, public hospitals and state jails
may still impose mask requirements, the order said.
On Wednesday, the Utah legislature passed a bill forbidding public
schools and state universities from requiring masks, which now heads
to the governor to be signed into law.
(Reporting by Peter Szekely and Jonathan Allen in New York; Editing
by Bill Berkrot)
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