The Hartley Sentinel-The Everly/Royal News - Serving O'Brien & Clay Counties

Many Americans remember President George W. Bush's 2003 "Mission Accomplished" speech not for its words, but for its imagery.

The address came following decisive success by U.S. troops during the second war with Iraq. Perched atop the deck of an aircraft carrier, Bush announced the end of major combat operations in Iraq with a banner that read "Mission Accomplished" prominently displayed in the background. He never actually uttered those words during his speech, but photos of the president addressing soldiers in front of the banner quickly became both ironic and iconic as America's military presence in the Middle East dragged painfully on.

It appears Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds is itching for her own "Mission Accomplished" moment. Though we're still in the throes of the COVID-19 pandemic, Reynolds last week removed the state's limited mask mandate as well as other restrictions on gatherings and businesses. Noting a significant decrease in hospitalizations, Reynolds said the limitations were no longer needed and could be lifted.

Iowa Public Radio reported Monday that Reynolds didn't even ask for input from the Iowa Department of Public Health before lifting the restrictions, which is absolutely mind-boggling. How do you not consult with public health experts before removing policies that directly affect the public's health? Reynolds decision wasn't even ill advised – it was completely unadvised.

It might take a while, but it seems the safe money is on Iowa having another November when hospitalizations soared and deaths followed suit. New highly contagious variants of COVID-19 have been confirmed in the Hawkeye State as well, and disease experts are expecting them to become the dominant strain in due time. Iowa is also almost dead last in vaccine distribution – 46th last week, according to the CDC. These realities should have us maintaining restrictions instead of slashing them.

The problem with mitigation efforts is that when they work, people see COVID-19 infections decline and deem the restrictions unnecessary. It's a cyclical reality and we'll no doubt be back at square one if Iowans think this mission is accomplished. Unfortunately, it most certainly is not.

The governor's decision to lift restrictions was equivalent to dropping trough and relieving one's self while facing a stiff breeze. We all want to return to normal, but we can only get there by following CDC guidelines until herd immunity is reached through vaccinations. We're a long ways out from that and we cannot be deterred from holding the line. Hopefully most Iowans realize that and ignore the governor's ill-fated logic.