Reynolds to join legal bid to block Covid vaccine mandate

DES MOINES — Republican Governor Kim Reynolds says she will join legal efforts to stop the Biden Administration’s Covid vaccination rule for large employers.

Businesses with more than 100 employees face fines if workers are not vaccinated by January 4, 2022 or regularly tested for Covid if they’re unvaccinated. Reynolds said it forces Iowans and Americans “to choose between making a living or standing up for their personal beliefs.” Iowa Democratic Party chairman Ross Wilburn said vaccination requirements “are nothing new” when it comes to public health.

“The governor’s giving Iowans a false choice between the common good and personal freedom,” Wilburn said during an online news conference. “We can do this. We can our way out of the pandemic by looking out for each other, by getting vaccinated.”

During a forum this morning in Altoona, Iowa GOP chairman Jeff Kaufmann said it’s “authoritarian” to mandate Covid vaccinations. A small business owner at the event said he’s not sure if he falls within the new requirement because he owns more than one business and the payroll for all his work sites might exceeds 100 employees.