By Ray King
As expected, Governor Asa Hutchinson Tuesday lifted the state-wide mask mandate that had been put in place last year in an effort to slow the spread of the coronavirus.
At his weekly COVID-19 press conference, Hutchinson said that just because the mandate was being lifted, it didn’t mean that mask usage would cease to exist. He said wearing of masks will continue for some restaurants and hotels, government buildings, stores, schools that currently have a mask mandate and barber and beauty shops. Also, hospitals and health care facilities and the Department of Corrections will still require masks.
Cities and counties may continue to require masks, even though the state mandate is lifted, Hutchinson said. Previously, the governor said cities and counties couldn’t impose their own mandates but on Tuesday said they could impose one if they felt it was necessary.
State Education Secretary Johnny Key said school districts which currently have a mask mandate will be able to retain it, modify it or do away with it with the decision up to the local school board. Which ever decision is made must be posted on the school district’s web site by April 15.
Hutchinson also announced that all Arkansas residents 16 years of age or older are now eligible to receive the COVID vaccine. He said this action is in line with President Joe Biden’s desire to see that 90 percent of all American’s be eligible for the vaccine in April.
“This is our path out of the pandemic,” Hutchinson said.
Using data from the National Center’s for Disease Control, the Governor said the state has thus far received over 1.6 million doses of the vaccine and administered over 1.1 million doses, or 69.4 percent of the total received. 769,106 people have received at least 1 shot and another 407,828 are fully vaccinated.
Hutchinson said when he considered lifting the mask mandate on Feb. 26, he established criteria that included a positivity rate of 10 percent or below based on a minimum of 7,500 tests and hospitalizations under 750. On Monday, there were 170 people hospitalized and the positivity rate in the state was 5 percent.
Asked if he would consider reinstating the mask mandate if conditions worsened, the Governor said anything is possible but he didn’t see that happening because of the increased demand for the vaccine.
