Walker, Ia., Mayor James Voss, seated here with the U.S. flag over his left shoulder and a blue container in front of him, is in a hospital being treated for COVID-19 about a week after he tested positive. (Photo courtesy of the city of Walker)
Residents of Walker, Iowa, are tracking a heated rumor mill after Mayor James Voss was hospitalized with COVID-19.
The town of 850 has its share of city politics. A Facebook site, Concerned Citizens of Walker, has been buzzing with people wondering if the mayor and his family exposed townspeople to the virus.
Many comments fall into two broad categories. One includes those who want to know why the city for a week didn’t publicly acknowledge one of its employees had COVID. The other is a group of people who stress that with Linn County logging the most COVID cases in the state, the virus is now widespread and the best thing is for people to stay home as much as possible and take care of themselves.
City Clerk Connie Helms posted on her personal Facebook Friday morning that Voss had been admitted Thursday night. Helms confirmed the news in an interview with Iowa Capital Dispatch on Friday. She has told residents privately that federal HIPAA medical privacy rules prevented the city from public announcing more.
In a private Facebook post on Friday, Helms said the mayor had tested positive “about a week ago.”
The man behind the Facebook site, Martin Coleman, said he was concerned over rumors of the mayor’s travels around town in the past week.
“People are in an uproar over this and the risk,” Coleman said.
Coleman said many now are afraid to go to a local convenience store that is the nerve center of town, for fear Voss had been there, too.
Coleman had prodded the city since Monday on the Facebook site to announce what its policy would be for confirming if a city employee had the illness. As of Saturday, Iowa had confirmed 786 cases, 139 of them in Linn County. Fourteen people have died in Iowa of the virus.
Walker, population 850, is north of Cedar Rapids in Linn County.
Helms asked her friends to pray for Voss and his family. “Please do everything you can to keep yourself and those around you safe,” Helms wrote. “For those of you who don’t think it can happen to you, that you won’t get COVID-19, you are wrong, very wrong! Please take care, stay safe, and keep the Voss family in your prayers.”
As of Saturday afternoon, no news of Voss’ illness appeared on the city’s website or social media.
Coleman, whose grandmother served on the City Council years ago, describes himself as a city watchdog. He went to school with Voss. Coleman, who grew up in Walker but was was gone 15 years before returning a couple of years ago, works in the parts department of a Monticello GM dealership.
“Why didn’t the city disclose this?” Coleman asked. He acknowledged the city’s concerns over medical privacy laws, but noted the city didn’t confirm a case at City Hall, without naming the person. “The city knew this for a week and kept this quiet.”
Several council members didn’t return emails seeking comment. Councilman Paul Nielsen referred questions to Helms
Helms declined comment beyond confirming Voss’ hospitalization for COVID.
Helms got in a pointed exchange on Facebook with resident Tami Vogt:
Vogt: “Why wasn’t the town notified a week ago when (Voss) first tested positive?”
Helms: “HIPAA.”
When Vogt expressed concern about the risk to residents, Helms replied, “This is not the place for this.”
Vogt: “Unbelievable!”
Coleman said he heard about the case on Monday.
“Now we have a huge problem,” Coleman said. “We have a very small community,” and people are wondering how safe it is to be roaming, he added.
Gov. Kim Reynolds has asked Iowans to work at home if they can and to stay at home as much as possible, except for essential trips such as grocery shopping and for outdoor exercise away from other people.
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