The governor’s plea comes amid swiftly rising numbers of new coronavirus infections across Arkansas, which — like much of the South — has seen a resurgence of the virus in recent weeks. At the news conference, Hutchinson said while he is not in favor of a statewide mask mandate, local directives should be a tool available to school districts because children under the age of 12 cannot be vaccinated.
“The local school districts should make the call, and they should have more options to make sure that their school is a safe environment during a very challenging time for education,” he said.
Jose Romero, Arkansas’s health secretary, said at the news conference that infection rates among children had exploded in recent months. He said that between April and July cases among those under 18 had increased by more than 500 percent. Hospitalizations for that age group also spiked by nearly 270 percent.
Meanwhile, Arkansas has lagged behind in vaccinating eligible adults, with less than 37 percent of residents fully vaccinated. In the past week, hospitalizations increased by nearly 20 percent and deaths increased by 70 percent, according to a Washington Post analysis. More than 97 percent of the people who have died of coronavirus-related causes this year were unvaccinated, Hutchinson said on Tuesday.
Even as Hutchinson endorsed mask mandates in schools, leaders in other Republican-led states have derided the idea. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) threatened to cut funding to school districts that implemented mandated mask policies. South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster (R) claimed on Tuesday that students “can’t learn” while wearing masks, the State reported.
Hutchinson conceded on Tuesday that many of his fellow Arkansas Republicans are likely to oppose rolling back the law and allowing school districts to implement mask policies, regardless of the skyrocketing infections across the state.
“I understand that some legislators are reluctant to allow school boards this freedom, even in this limited way,” Hutchinson said in a statement. “But the exceptions for which I am asking are true to the conservative principle that puts control in the hands of local government.”
"allow" - Google News
August 04, 2021 at 04:08PM
https://ift.tt/3lrV8oD
Arkansas governor wants to allow school district mask mandates - The Washington Post
"allow" - Google News
https://ift.tt/2KTEV8j
https://ift.tt/2Wp5bNh
Bagikan Berita Ini
0 Response to "Arkansas governor wants to allow school district mask mandates - The Washington Post"
Post a Comment