Comment on Local officials plead with public to follow COVID-19 safety measures as cases rise

Local officials once again are warning the public that hospitals will be overwhelmed and Iowans will suffer health consequences unless individuals follow public health guidelines. As several days of alarming numbers of new COVID-19 cases drive record-breaking rates of hospitalizations locally, officials at a news conference at the Cedar Rapids Public Library Friday called on the public to practice guidelines they’ve been touting since the pandemic began — wear a mask, use social distancing and avoid large gatherings.With the recent spike in new cases and with the holidays drawing closer, local officials expressed a growing alarm that quarantine fatigue is driving residents to be less diligent in using public health measures — thus spreading the virus more than before.“While COVID-19 may not make you seriously ill, there are people in our community who have been hospitalized and who have died due to COVID-19,” Heather Meador, clinical services supervisor at Linn County Public Health, said at the news conference.