Hutchinson Expects Arkansas Will Lift Face Mask Mandate, Rely on 'Common Sense'

Arkansas’ GOP Gov. Asa Hutchinson on Sunday said he expects to lift the mask mandate in his state, declaring “common sense is going to replace mandates.”

In an interview on CNN’s “State of the Union,” Hutchinson said “you cannot go beyond the toleration” for a mandate on wearing face coverings to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

“I set a goal, if we have low hospitalizations and continue to reduce our cases, positivity rate is low, we can lift the mask mandate. We set goals and I expect that to be lifted,” he said.

“People understand the importance of the mask,” Hutchinson said. “I expect even though we take the mask mandate away, people will continue to use the mask when you cannot socially distance and whenever there is a risk of a virus.”

“Common sense is going to replace mandates and I think that's where we are right now,” he declared.

According to Hutchinson, the hesitancy about COVID vaccinations is one that will likely stifle efforts to get to an optimal 70% rate.

“The hesitancy is voiced not just here but all across the country,” he said. “I expect as a country, we'll get to 50% vaccination rate of the population, but we're going to have a harder time getting from 50% to 70%.”

He said the problem is skepticism, and overcoming it is education.

“We're going through that effort here,” he said of trying to overcome skepticism about the vaccine, adding: “As people see others getting the vaccination, the importance of it, I expect that acceptance rate to continue and to go up. I am optimistic. We first have to get the 50%. It's an easier lift. Then we have to work hard to get the rest of the way.”

Hutchinson also addressed the mass shooting in the Atlanta area of eight people, most of them Asian American women, at three massage parlors, and said the United States needs better hate crime laws.

“We have a large Asian American population in Arkansas,” he said. “They contribute vitally to our economy and our diversity and our well-being. We really need to have across this country, including Arkansas, effective hate crimes laws that will express simply that if you will target someone because of their race or their characteristics, then you ought to have additional penalties that go with that.”

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