Somehow Ashton Kutcher is partly responsible for Iowans getting more COVID testing

Actor, tech investor, and proud former Iowan Ashton Kutcher came through for his home state following the Coronavirus outbreak. In a recent chat with the state’s Republican governor, Kim Reynolds, Kutcher brought up COVID-19 testing — as one does when they’re a famous Hollywood actor-type casually engaging in a telephone conversation with a politician. Or at least that’s how we imagine those kinds of calls go.Reynolds’ original reason for putting in a call to Kutcher was to ask the That 70s Show star to record a stay at home PSA for the state (a task that celebrities ranging from Larry David to Kim Kardashian and daughter North West have undertaken). But the conversation shifted when Kutcher, who is also engaged in a wine-based fundraising project to combat the financial effects of COVID-19, asked the governor about testing.[video_embed id='1799614']RELATED: Mila Kunis says Ashton Kutcher should marry her mom if she dies[/video_embed]Perhaps because Kutcher has dabbled in the world of tech entrepreneurship and funding, he happened to be well-informed about a company called TestUtah and even had a pal working for one of the company’s contractors. Reynolds says that Kutcher told her “it looked very promising and it looked like other states should potentially take a look.” From there, things moved quickly. A multi-million dollar deal was struck and Reynolds commissioned Kutcher to film a promo video for the new testing program. Page Six reports that 80,000 Iowans signed up for the program in its first 24 hours after the video was shared on Twitter.

We all have a role to play and by staying home, we can limit the spread of #COVID19. Thank you Ashton Kutcher for being a part of this PSA. https://t.co/W1Gf9GVL38

— Gov. Kim Reynolds (@IAGovernor) April 16, 2020

But not everyone is championing the new initiative which has tripled the number of tests the state can complete in a day. Iowa senator Joe Bolkcom remains unimpressed by the way his governor has been dealing with the pandemic and the safety of essential frontline workers. “Mr. Kutcher seems like a great guy but not sure what public health expertise he brings for advising our pandemic response,” he said. “But if he’s available, maybe he can go inspect the meatpacking plants.”[video_embed id='1944882']BEFORE YOU GO: Jennifer Lopez and Alex Rodriguez pictured breaking physical-distancing policies[/video_embed]