DES MOINES, Iowa — Iowa's top court official says masks will no longer be required in Iowa courtrooms as a statewide policy beginning next week.
Iowa Supreme Court Chief Justice Susan Christensen says effective Monday, the courts will end the mandatory mask protocol.
"The court instituted this requirement to address concerns with the rising Delta variant, and kept it in place when the Omicron variant followed," she wrote Friday. "With both variants now on the wane, we find it appropriate to end this protocol."
However, judges will be allowed to use discretion to require face coverings by participants if necessary.
The step follows Gov. Kim Reynolds' announcement last week she would end the coronavirus public health emergency in Iowa, a move that will limit the release of state public health data.
As of Friday, 819,130 COVID-19 tests in Iowa have returned positive and the Iowa Department of Public Health reports a 14-day test positivity rate of 13.9%.