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‘Love Your Neighbor’: Faith Leaders Call for Mandatory Face Masks
DES MOINES, Iowa — A petition with 829 signatures awaited Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds Monday morning. Faith leaders from various denominations led the effort to push the governor to mandate the use of face coverings to slow the spread of COVID-19 that has killed nearly 900 Iowans since March.
“A call to action to protect the health and safety of Iowans,” said Connie Ryan, executive director of the Iowa Interfaith Alliance. “A call to action based on the moral value: love your neighbor. We know the governor holds that moral value as true,” Ryan said, “to love your neighbor.”
Faith leaders want the governor to mandate the use of face masks in indoor public settings and outdoors when physical distancing isn’t possible. They also want school districts to have the authority to move all learning online if district leaders feel that would be the safest option for students during this global pandemic.
“We’re asking Governor Reynolds just a very simple thing,” explained the Reverend P. Alex Thornberg, pastor of Heartland Presbyterian Church in Clive. “Leading us into some idea of shared sacrifice for the common good,” he said.
Governor Reynolds has publicly called on Iowans to voluntarily wear face coverings when physical distancing isn’t possible. She has resisted calls to mandate the use of face coverings and has blocked local governments’ abilities to institute a mandatory mask order of their own.