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Prairie Meadows Casino and Resort reimposes mask mandate to slow COVID spread

Aug. 1, 2021 10:00 am

ALTOONA, Iowa (AP) — Prairie Meadows Casino and Resort has reimposed a mask mandate for its guests to slow the spread of COVID-19.

The mask mandate went into effect at 8 a.m. Sunday, according to the Des Moines Register.

The Polk County-owned casino, horse-racing track and hotel was closed for three months in 2020 because of the pandemic. It reopened in June 2020 with a mask mandate but lifted the requirement in June 2021.

The move comes amid a resurgence nationally of the coronavirus. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued new guidance Wednesday calling for everyone, including vaccinated people, to wear masks indoors in areas with high transmission risk.

Cars fill the parking lot at Prairie Meadows Racetrack and Casino in this Aug. 21, 2002, file photo in Altoona, Iowa. (AP Photo/Steve Pope)