Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds said she was not considering putting in place a shelter-in-place order at a press conference on Thursday. 

Reynolds said the order, which has been put in place in several counties and cities in northern California, was not being considered in Iowa, and she encouraged Iowans to continue practicing social distancing and staying home if they feel sick.

Under a shelter-in-place order, residents are required to remain in their homes except for some essential activities, including seeing a doctor or grocery shopping. It also doesn’t apply to people in professions considered essential, such as health care and transportation workers.

“That is not on the table or something that we’re considering,” Reynolds said. “We have asked people to follow simple directives and hopefully they can do that. We’re counting on every Iowan to do their part, and my faith is with them.”

Reynolds also announced the state has six new positive cases across 13 counties, bringing the total confirmed cases in the state up to 44.

Reynolds said case counts are likely to increase in the coming days as more testing continues. 

State Public Health Medical Director and Epidemiologist Caitlin Pedati said during the conference that mild cases of COVID-19 do not need to be tested for the illness. 

“Many of us will never need to be tested. Eighty percent of us will experience a very mild type of illness, similar to a flu or cold type illness,” Pendait said. 

Pendati said since there is no current treatment available for the coronavirus, testing does not have an impact on the outcome of mild cases. 

Pendati said the State Hygienic Laboratory in Iowa City currently has the capability to test 400 kits a day.