Decatur County in southern Iowa has the distinction of being the only one in the state to remain Covid-19 free. “People are very proud of what they are doing to keep everything going and under control,” Leon City Councilmember Sue Kelly told WHO-TV 13.
Despite keeping the virus under control, residents in the county and in the county seat of Leon are still forced to the same restrictions as Polk County with well over 3,000 cases. “Because there have been no cases people loosen up. Do I really need to wear a mask? Do I really need to social distance? We don’t have any cases so it’s been a really difficult dilemma,” Emily Layton, a Decatur County resident tells WHO-TV 13.
She says everyone in the community wants to stay safe because they realize how devastating the smallest outbreak could be. “With a small town like this it could go away so quickly with the pandemic. We have a husband and wife who are a hairstylist and tattoo artist and they are married and so they had been shut down and we worry. Are they going to come back?.”
Kelly says Decatur County is standing firm with the Governor’s orders. “The Governor can’t go from town to town and figure out who’s got what so we just have to follow the rules.”
Because of zero positive cases, city leaders say there is one area where the community’s patience is wearing thin. Allowing kids to be kids again and casually swim at the community pool. “Our poor kids who have been in their homes for 2 1/2 months. They wanna be at the pool so we can take precautions to make that happen and we are hoping it happens,” Layton tells WHO-TV 13.
Governor Reynolds opened pools across the state on Wednesday, but only for swimming laps and swimming lessons.
(Photo: WHO-TV 13)