Although politicians are reluctant to admit that they have made mistakes, the Delta variant is sweeping across the US and Arkansas. Arkansas Governor. Asa Hutchinson admitted that he regrets having signed a law prohibiting mask mandates.Hutchinson said Tuesday that "in hindsight I wish that this had not become law.""But it's the law," continued the Republican governor. "So we only have one option: amend it or allow the courts to declare it unconstitutional."Arkansas' mandate states that businesses, schools, and municipalities cannot make rules to allow only vaccinated or masked people into their buildings to reduce the spread of coronavirus.Many Republican-led states across the country have passed similar laws banning facial coverings in schools and other places. These include Florida, Arizona, Utah and Texas.Arkansas schools cannot enforce masking because children are returning to in-person learning in fall. This puts those below 12 who don't qualify for vaccines, especially at risk.The governor admitted that it was a potentially fatal error.Hutchinson said, "I signed it at that time because our cases were very low." "Everything has changed."Like most states, Arkansas is experiencing a large increase in COVID-19 cases due to the more contagious Delta variant. According to the CDC, Monday's seven-day moving mean was 1,901 for Arkansas. The state reported 2,343 additional cases on Tuesday. In the last week, there has been a 50% rise in cases involving children.Hutchinson stated that Arkansas is currently experiencing a public health emergency.Arkansas has one of the lowest rates of vaccination in the country. Only 46.6% have received at least one COVID-19 shot according to the CDC.
