Arkansas' governor defends decision to approve a statewide ban on mask mandates
CNN
Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson on Sunday defended his decision to approve a statewide ban on face mask mandates earlier this year, citing a low coronavirus case rate at the time -- a rate that is now rapidly rising.
"Well, 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. They were capable of making their decisions," Hutchinson, a Republican, told 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 set to go into effect this week, the state "shifted to the emphasis on vaccination" and that its guidelines "continue to say if you're not vaccinated, you should wear a mask."
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