LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) — Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson says he plans to talk with legislative leaders about the growing calls to allow schools to require face masks as the state’s COVID-19 deaths and hospitalizations continued to grow.
The Republican governor on Monday said he planned to discuss the issue with GOP leaders of the state House and Senate.
This follows calls from Democratic lawmakers and others to lift a new law banning mask mandates by state and local governments.
Arkansas’ COVID-19 deaths grew by 23 and its hospitalizations rose by 61 on Monday.
Also on Monday, the Little Rock School District approved a resolution supporting an approach that would allow a local school board to determine what is best for its community regarding face coverings.
“Local communities are best suited to understand what their stakeholders seek, have dialog with the medical community in their own region, and finally best understand numbers of students and staff who are vaccinated,” the resolution noted.
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