Arkansas Republican Gov. Asa Hutchinson complained on Tuesday that he regrets signing a bill banning mask mandates in the state now that the delta variant is spreading.
“I signed it for those reasons that our cases were at a low point,” he said this week. “Everything has changed now, and yes, in hindsight, I wish that had not become law, but it is the law, and the only chance we have is either to amend it or for the courts to say that it has an unconstitutional foundation.”
Gov. Asa Hutchinson (R-AR) says he regrets signing law banning local mask mandates, as COVID cases quickly rise in his state.
“In hindsight, I wish that had not become law,” said Hutchinson, who has asked lawmakers to allow school districts to adopt mask mandates. pic.twitter.com/sj1Q8ukLCA
— The Recount (@therecount) August 4, 2021
Hutchinson approved the ban on both state and local mask mandates in late April, and it went into effect toward the end of July.
The ban does not forbid private businesses from requiring face coverings and still allows healthcare facilities, prisons, and some other state-run facilities to require them.
Hutchinson tried to amend the mask mandate during a special legislative session that he convened last week, but his request was rejected.
Just a couple of weeks ago, Hutchinson was defending his decision to sign the ban on mask mandates, arguing Arkansas residents “were capable of making their decisions.”
“That was the will of the General Assembly. I signed it. At that point we had very low case rates in Arkansas and people knew exactly what to do,” he told CNN.
Hutchinson also suggested he was supportive of a recent lawsuit filed by two Arkansas parents this week to overturn the ban on mask mandates.
The parents want a judge to declare the ban unconstitutional, which Hutchinson said is the only way the law can be repealed.
