Des Moines Register: Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds will soon end the public health disaster proclamation that Iowa has operated under since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic nearly two years ago. Reynolds, a Republican, first announced the disaster proclamation on March 17, 2020. In the early days of the pandemic, she relied on the proclamation to close businesses, limit large gatherings and encourage other pandemic responses like limiting nonessential surgeries and — briefly — requiring masks to be worn in certain indoor settings. Reynolds said in her statement that she will allow the proclamation to expire on Feb. 15 at 11:59 p.m. She said it’s time to reallocate state resources that have been dedicated to treating COVID-19 as a public health emergency.