The COVID Project
The record
- Jurisdiction
- Iowa City, Iowa · Iowa
- Level
- City
- Authority
- Iowa Const. art. III, § 38A; Iowa Code ch. 364, § 372.14(2); Proclamation of Civil Emergency of August 19, 2021
- Issued
- 2021-08-19 Aug. 19, 2021
- Effective
- 11:59 p.m. August 19, 2021 (read as 2021-08-19)
- End
- September 30, 2021 'unless otherwise extended' (extended into Q4 2021; end date not verified) (read as 2021-09-30)
- In force
- Aug. 19, 2021 to Sept. 30, 2021
- Quarters
- 2021 Q3
2020 Q22020 Q32020 Q42021 Q12021 Q22021 Q3
- Limitation types
- Emergency declarationFace-covering requirement
- Addressees
- every person in Iowa City
- businesses, schools, government offices, the University of Iowa, houses of worship, theaters
- Functions reached
- CB customers masked in every business, venue, church and theater in Iowa City July 1-September 30, 2021 (from August 19)
- SF/DR/BA/PE/WS premises
- OF University and government offices
- WF
- Collection
- Iowa IA
Operative words
City release of August 19, 2021: 'Mayor Bruce Teague has issued an order that, due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and the spread of the Delta variant, every person in the City of Iowa City must wear a face covering when in a public space. The order will take effect at 11:59 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 19, 2021. The order will expire on Sept. 30, 2021, unless otherwise extended. Every person in the City of Iowa City must wear a face covering that covers their nose and mouth when in a public place as follows: In public, as opposed to being in one's place of residence, when one cannot stay six (6) feet away from others; Inside any indoor public settings, for example, but not limited to: Grocery stores, Pharmacies, Hardware stores, Retail stores, Restaurants and bars, Public school buildings, Government buildings, University of Iowa academic buildings and business offices, Houses of worship, Movie theaters; Outside, if keeping six feet away from others is not possible; Using public transportation or private car service (including taxis, ride share, or carpooling).... The order states that Chapter 364 of the Iowa Code reaffirms the constitutional grant of home rule authority to municipalities "to exercise any power and perform any function it deems appropriate to protect and preserve the rights, privileges and property of the city or its residents, and improve the peace, safety, health, welfare and convenience of its residents." The Mayor has also issued a proclamation of Civil Emergency due to the growing risk of the Delta variant.'
Enforcement
Simple misdemeanor under Iowa City Code § 8-1-2 per the 2020 order's model (the 2021 order's penalty clause not read; the Governor's office called the order unlawful under HF 847 but no enforcement action was taken)
Notes
The only Iowa municipal mask order of general application in force during Q3 2021; it exploited HF 847's limitation to rules on 'the owner of real property' by imposing the duty on persons (Bleeding Heartland, Aug. 20, 2021). The University of Iowa and the Iowa City Community School District stated they could not require masks under State law.
Retrieval noteThe City's own release (archived August 27, 2021) rendered to PDF from the Wayback Machine and read in full; it quotes the order's operative text.