Arkansas Governor Expresses Regret Over, Statewide Mask Ban.<br />On Sunday, Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson<br />continued to express regret over his decision to prohibit citizens<br />from protecting themselves against COVID-19.<br />The Republican governor said<br />that his decision in April 2021<br />to sign a statewide law banning<br />mask mandates was “an error.”.<br />Everything has changed now … And yes, in<br />hindsight, I wish that had not become law, Governor Asa Hutchinson, via 'Huffpost'.<br />Although “cases were low” at the time of his signing,<br />Gov. Hutchinson acknowledged that the situation has since<br />“roared back” to dangerous levels, due to the delta variant. .<br />Whenever I signed that law, our cases were<br />low, we were hoping that the whole thing<br />was gone, in terms of the virus, but it roared<br />back with the delta variant, Governor Asa Hutchinson, via 'Huffpost'.<br />Gov. Hutchinson went on to say that he has asked<br />the legislature to at least “redo” the portion of the law<br />that extends the ban to school districts. .<br />I realized that we needed to have more<br />options for our local school districts to<br />protect those children. And so I asked the<br />legislature to redo the law that prohibited those<br />requirements or those options for the school<br />districts to protect the children, Governor Asa Hutchinson, via 'Huffpost'.<br />There is currently a temporary block in place on the<br />enforcement of the state’s mask mandate ban in schools. .<br />Pulaski County Circuit Judge Tim Fox made his<br />decision to block the law on August 6, in response to a<br />number of lawsuits filed by parents and a school district. .<br />He issued the preliminary<br />injunction just shortly after<br />the state’s General Assembly<br />gathered, yet failed to<br />amend the law. .<br />According to Judge Fox, the law “cannot be enforced in<br />any shape, fashion or form” while the lawsuits continue.
