Oct 14, 2020 3:11 PM

Iowa Coronavirus Cases Climbing With More Testing, Des Moines County Cases Yo-Yo

Posted Oct 14, 2020 3:11 PM

By Beacon Staff

As cases of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) in Iowa climbed to 18,792 on Friday, the count in Des Moines continues to confuse locals.

On Thursday (May 28), the reported cases of COVID-19 in Des Moines County rose to 61, then dropped to 59 a day later, according to the Iowa Department of Public Health. That number rebounded back to 62 later Friday night (May 29), and remained there as of early Saturday morning (May 30).

Earlier in the month, Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds said the fluctuation in confirmed positive COVID-19 cases was due to reporting errors. She said. confirmed positive cases in the city of Des Moines were mistakenly attributed to Des Moines County.

The Iowa Department of Public Health could not be reached on Friday for further comment on the reporting discrepancies.

COVID-19 Openings And Cancellations

In Burlington, city officials announced Friday (May 29) that playgrounds and skate parks will reopen June 1, while restrooms will open on June 5. Drinking fountains remain closed, but basketball, tennis courts, and frisbee golf are still open to the public.

Dankwardt Park Pool will remain closed, while Flint Hills Golf Course is now open. Summer camps will begin on June 8, and the Burlington Regional RecPlex will open for tournaments on June 1.

The Downtown 5&V Cinema (which is outside) will return for its annual summer season starting on June 6 with a screening of “Frozen II.”

The Burlington Municipal Band has canceled all summer concerts in Crapo Park. The Lee County Fair will be open only to junior 4-H children.

The Des Moines County Fair will go on as originally planned, however, that could still change. Fair officials updated the fair’s status via Facebook Thursday.

“We are proceeding as normal with camping registration and set-up of the campgrounds during fair at this time. Should public health and safety guidelines change we reserve the right to make changes to ensure the safety of all those involved,” the post reads.

Though campers will be welcome, events for the fair are being streamlined to consist of 4-H and FFA livestock events and exhibits. Food vendors will likely still be part of the fair as well, though a final decision won't be made until June 20. Fair organizers are currently exploring safe ways for exhibitors to auction their livestock off after the fair.