U.S. Senator Joni Ernst (R) spoke with several funeral home directors about facing the COVID-19 pandemic in Keota Friday afternoon as part of her 99-county tour.

Sen. Ernst visited Powell Funeral Home where a few board members from the Iowa Funeral Directors Association were also in attendance as well as State Representative Jarad Klein (R) and other local business owners. The funeral directors spoke of the challenges of holding services during the pandemic with gathering restrictions of as small as 10 people and personal protective equipment sometimes in short supply. They also mentioned how live streaming services proved beneficial for funeral homes and something they expect to continue post-pandemic.

The discussion then moved beyond COVID-19 to discussion of whether Republicans will gain the majority in Congress in 2022, and how to find middle ground between the two parties. As 12 COVID-19 deaths were added in Iowa in the past week bringing the total to 6,170, Ernst tells KCII what she thinks about getting vaccinated, “It should still be a personal choice but I would say please get vaccinated. I think for those that maybe have family members or friends with underlying conditions, not only think about your wellbeing but think about other people’s wellbeing as well. And those increasing hospitalizations that we are seeing, most of those folks are not vaccinated. So I’m just encouraging people to please, please get vaccinated.”

Ernst is also making a 99-county tour stop in Fairfield this weekend.