Arkansas to require face masks to combat coronavirus surge
Asa Hutchinson of Arkansas on Thursday became the latest governor to issue an order requiring people to wear face masks in public throughout their state.
Arkansas has had a surge in coronavirus cases over the past several weeks.
The Republican governor had previously resisted a statewide mask mandate and opposed issuing a stay-at-home order earlier in the pandemic, but he signed the order requiring masks when social distancing isn’t possible in the hopes of slowing the disease’s rapid spread in the state.
The order takes effect Monday.
Hutchinson’s decision comes amid growing support for mask requirements from business and health leaders and a day after Bentonville-based Walmart said it would require customers to wear masks in all of its US stores. The state’s largest newspaper, the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, also called for a statewide requirement on Thursday.
Updated
at 3.52pm EDT
White House: ‘The science should not stand in the way’ of reopening schools
Updated
at 3.30pm EDT
CDC report: Trump’s European travel ban came too late for New York
Updated
at 2.44pm EDT