Governor seeks to lift mask ban

Republican Gov. Asa Hutchinson is calling lawmakers back to the Capitol to lift the state’s ban on mask requirements in public schools.

Hutchinson said he’ll call the majorityRepublican Legislature into session likely next week to amend a state law that prohibits state and local government entities from requiring face masks. Hutchinson said he’ll propose giving local school boards the power to decide whether to require masks in K12 schools.

“This is not a debate about mask mandates for those that can make their own decisions and have the means to get vaccinated,” Hutchinson said. “This is a discussion about the school environment where schools can make decisions about the public health for their school environment and the children they have responsibility to protect.”

Hutchinson also declared a new emergency, two months after ending the declaration he’d put in place at the start of the pandemic last year. Arkansas’ virus cases have skyrocketed because of the delta variant and the state’s low vaccination rate.