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“Well, that was the will of the General Assembly. I signed it. At this point we had very low case rates in Arkansas and people knew exactly what to do. They were able to make their decisions. said Hutchinson, a Republican. CNN’s Jake Tapper on “State of the Union” when asked about his decision to approve the ban in April.
The governor added that when he approved the law, which is due to go into effect this week, the state “placed emphasis on vaccination” and its guidelines “continue to say that if you are not vaccinated , you must wear a mask. ”
“This is the guideline we have in place but we don’t have a mandate because it was retained by the legislature,” Hutchinson said.
The ban allows state and local authorities and entities to recommend the use of a face mask, but requires them to “notify that the recommendation is not mandatory.”
As Arkansas draws closer to the ban coming into effect, the state grapples with an increasing rate of coronavirus positivity, with the state reporting 11,748 new cases and 56 new deaths last week – a 19.32% positivity rate, according to the Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center.
According to the center, at least 36% of the state’s residents are vaccinated, which Hutchinson says is holding Arkansas back in its fight against the virus.
Hutchinson told Tapper he would not consider a vaccination mandate “because it would even cause a greater backlash of negativity towards the government and then an imposition of freedom.”
But, the governor said, the ban on mask warrants is something that could change by the start of school in the state depending on its vaccination rate and whether lawmakers call a session to consider. to change the law.
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