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Arkansas Governor Admits He Regrets Signing Law Banning Mask Mandates

Arkansas recorded its highest daily increase in hospitalizations since the start of the pandemic on Monday.

Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson has regrets about signing a bill banning mask mandates in the state, CBS News reports. It appears the Republican governor has now come to his senses and understands the risks local schools face as Arkansas remains one of the nation’s least vaccinated states, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. “Yes, in hindsight, I wish that it had not become law. But it is the law, and the only chance we have is either to amend it or for the courts to say that it has an unconstitutional foundation,” said Hutchinson in a briefing Tuesday. Hutchinson’s epiphany couldn’t have come at a worse time for the state as a surging number of cases has left officials scrambling for ways to contain the outbreak. The state saw its highest increase in COVID-19 hospitalizations Monday, KATV reports. The Delta variant now accounts for 93 percent of COVID-19 infections, according to the CDC.