“Mere months after Gov. Asa Hutchinson signed a bill that banned local mask mandates across Arkansas, the state’s top Republican has asked lawmakers to reconsider the prohibition so that school districts might require children to don face coverings when they return to the classroom this fall. ‘In hindsight, I wish that it had not become law,’ he said at a news conference on Tuesday. In March, when covid-19 cases were declining, Hutchinson allowed a statewide mask mandate to expire. About a month later, he signed a bill that barred local officials from requiring face coverings.”
“Now, Hutchinson wants to undo that legislation. On Tuesday, he called for a special session to reevaluate the ban. 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” – Washington Post.