Arkansas governor, top lawmakers to meet on mask mandate ban

FILE – In this Tuesday, June 22, 2021, file photo, Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson testifies before a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on Capitol Hill, in Washington. Hutchinson is set to become the new chairman of the National Governors Association, which has been focused on states’ response to the coronavirus since the pandemic erupted across the U.S. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta, File)

by: Associated Press

Posted: Jul 27, 2021 / 07:38 AM AST

Updated: Jul 27, 2021 / 07:38 AM AST

This is an archived article and the information in the article may be outdated. Please look at the time stamp on the story to see when it was last updated.

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson said he plans to talk with legislative leaders about the growing calls to allow schools to require face masks as the state’s COVID-19 deaths and hospitalizations continued to grow.

The Republican governor on Monday said he planned to discuss the issue with GOP leaders of the state House and Senate. This follow calls from Democratic lawmakers and others to lift a new law banning mask mandates by state and local governments.

As of now, coronavirus continues to rage through the state. This week, new day-over-day cases topped 2,000 for the first time since February. State health officials reported 2,015 new cases Saturday.

Although the Arkansas vaccination rate has been among the nation’s lowest, State Epidemiologist Jennifer Dillaha told the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette that 32,466 first doses of COVID-19 vaccine were administered last week, the most since late April.