Corruption, dishonesty, mismanagement led to tragic and unnecessary deaths; At current pace, COVID-19 could trail only heart disease and cancer for cause of death in Iowa
Progress Iowa executive director Matt Sinovic issued the following statement in response to Iowa surpassing 1,000 deaths from COVID-19:
“As our state passes the tragic milestone of one thousand deaths caused by COVID-19, we’re faced with a grim reality: far too many of these deaths could and should have been avoided.”
“The corruption, dishonesty, and mismanagement by Governor Reynolds and her administration has ripped apart more than one thousand grieving families who lost loved ones. How did we get here, how did it all go so wrong?”
“The Governor failed by not addressing the pandemic swiftly and strongly enough. Despite public outcry, she refused to issue a stay at home order, and dragged her feet while cases spiked in packing plants, nursing homes, correctional facilities, and across the state. Her administration refused to provide oversight and regulate businesses, and we still don’t have a full picture of what happened during those earliest days, or have reliable confidence about safety for workers today.”
“Adding to delays and inaction by the Reynolds administration is her dishonesty about this terrible disease. How many times were Iowans told to trust the data, metrics, and modeling created by the Reynolds administration? How many times were we told that their data and modeling were more reliable than any other?”
“Reynolds has belittled reporters and concerned citizens for not trusting her administration’s experts. She has stripped away local control from counties and cities who want to protect our families, and school boards who want students and educators to learn and work in a safe environment. She has done this asking us to trust her and the administration, which has turned out to be wrong at nearly every turn.”
“As the crisis unfolded, Iowans discovered that, according to the administration’s own staff that has since been ousted, Reynolds was not transparent with us. And now we know their data has been seriously flawed. The only question is whether cases were intentionally undercounted to paint a rosier picture and reopen businesses before it was safe.”
“Governor Reynolds’ dishonesty and failure to act have been amplified by her own corruption and mismanagement. She could have conducted an exhaustive search to hire the best of the best to provide testing and protective equipment for Iowans. Instead, she gave away two no bid contracts, one worth $26 million based on the endorsement of Ashton Kutcher that has led to serious issues with our testing capability. And the other was for PPE made in China by a wealthy Republican donor who is under investigation for assault.”
“Far too many have died while Reynolds was asleep at the wheel, relying on bad data, and refusing to take this seriously. We don’t know the full reality, and it’s likely much worse than the state is telling us. Reynolds says we’re all in this together, but her actions tell a different story. The ultimate and sad reality is that these one thousand deaths still represent the beginning of this crisis, not the end. With Governor Reynolds in charge, there is no light at the end of the tunnel.”
“Because of the Governor’s many failures, Iowa is still in crisis. We are seeing record numbers of COVID-19 cases, and at current pace this disease could be the third highest cause of death this year, behind only heart disease and cancer.”
“Governor Reynolds has led too many Iowans to their death and broken our trust. If we all want to survive this crisis, we must rely on expert advice and on the goodness of Iowans. Because we will not find the help, honesty, or leadership we need from our Governor.”
Background:
COVID-19 A Growing Crisis in Iowa
Cedar Rapids Gazette: Iowa hits high of new coronavirus cases in a 24-hour period
Des Moines Register: Iowa State students seem intent on spreading COVID-19 through giant parties
The Hawk Eye: COVID-19 cases rose significantly over the past week in southeast Iowa
CDC: Iowa’s Leading Causes of Death (At current pace COVID-19 could become third highest cause of death in Iowa behind only cancer and heart disease)
Test Iowa, GOP Donor Receive No-Bid Contracts From Reynolds Administration
Cedar Rapids Gazette Editorial: Test Iowa is a failure
Ottumwa Courier: No other vendors considered for Iowa’s $26 million COVID-19 testing contract
The Guardian: Iowa touted its Covid-19 testing. Now officials are calling for an investigation
Reynolds Administration Has Hidden Information, Skewed Data
Associated Press: ‘Horrifying’ data glitch skews key Iowa coronavirus metrics
Bleeding Heartland: Iowa’s COVID-19 website has backdated some cases for months
KCRG News: Iowa stymies public information requests in pandemic
