Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds on Tuesday disputed new federal guidance that vaccinated people should resume wearing masks indoors in public when in areas with high coronavirus spread. The governor said the federal advice is counterproductive to vaccination efforts and “not grounded in reality or common sense.” 

The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended Tuesday afternoon that fully vaccinated people should wear masks in indoor public spaces when in areas with “substantial or high transmission,” a designation that currently applies to nearly half of Iowa’s 99 counties. The agency also recommended that everyone inside schools should wear a mask. 

Minutes later, Reynolds issued a statement criticizing the federal advice. 

“I’m concerned that this guidance will be used as a vehicle to mandate masks in states and schools across the country, something I do not support,” Reynolds said in a statement issued minutes after the CDC announcement Tuesday afternoon.