Governor Kim Reynolds commented on her lack of press conferences this past month as Iowa has seen the largest number of COVID-19 hospitalizations and more than 30,000 Iowans testing positive for the virus.

Governor Reynolds hasn’t held a televised COVID-19 press conference since October 7th, and she explained to Raccoon Valley Radio during a visit in Stuart Thursday that instead she has appeared on radio and television stations outside Des Moines while traveling around the state, “So it’s not just about this media market, this is an opportunity for me to get out in the state as I’m traveling and to really talk to Iowans in different areas through the media.”

Reynolds was also asked if Iowans not taking personal responsibility factored into the state’s record high hospitalizations for COVID-19, surpassing 600 on Thursday, “That’s such a …, you can’t just look at it from that perspective. So you have to take a look at everything. We are testing so many more all the time.”

Reynolds said, “We are learning to live with COVID-19,” as the most recent White House Coronavirus Task Force report ranks Iowa with the 10th highest case rate per capita. The report also found that as the weather cools, friends and families are moving social gatherings indoors, significantly increasing spread.