Arkansas virus cases, hospitalizations continue to decrease

LITTLE ROCK — Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson said he’s still considering removing the state’s mask mandate at the end of March even as many residents turn down a coronavirus vaccine.

Speaking Sunday on CBS’ “Face the Nation,” the Republican governor said the vaccine skepticism in the state is “troubling.”

“Whenever we are opening up eligibility for the vaccine, we’re moving through it very quickly because we’re not having everybody sign up to take it,” he said.

As of Sunday, nearly 300,000 people in Arkansas had been fully vaccinated, or about 10 percent of the state’s population. The state reported 130 new cases of the virus and 19 more deaths, while hospitalizations continued to decline.

Hutchinson is considering removing the Arkansas’ mask mandate at the end of March if the state meets certain benchmarks. That’s in contrast to the swift rollback of restrictions in neighboring Texas and Mississippi.

“I think the time in this pandemic for heavy-handed restrictions and mandates are going by the wayside so people can make good judgments,” Hutchinson said Sunday. “And we expect that to happen even after March 31st if the mask mandate is lifted.”

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State expands vaccine eligibility to another one million people

LITTLE ROCK — Arkansas on Tuesday made the coronavirus vaccine available to 1 million more people, expanding its eligibility to a wide swath of people that includes food service workers, prisoners and people with certain health conditions.

Gov. Asa Hutchinson announced the state was opening up the 1C phase of its vaccination plan, citing President Joe Biden’s goal to have all adults eligible for the vaccine by May 1.

Arkansas had previously made the vaccine available to people at least 65 years old and several other groups that included teachers and health care workers. Others in the newly eligible category in Arkansas include essential workers in energy, finance, legal and media sectors.

Hutchinson also cited a slowdown in demand for the vaccine, particularly in rural parts of the state, as a reason for opening up eligibility further. The Department of Health said that nearly 864,000 of the 1.5 million vaccine doses allocated to the state have been given so far.

On Monday, lawmakers sent Gov. Asa Hutchinson a revision of the state’s emergency powers law. The bill, which passed on a 78-16 vote, gives the Legislature greater say in whether to terminate emergency declarations or orders issued under them.

Rep. Jimmy Gazaway, a sponsor of the measure, said the measure wasn’t a criticism of Hutchinson’s approach to the pandemic but called it an effort to “restore an appropriate balance of power between the executive branch and the legislative branch.”

Hutchinson has faced pushback over the state’s virus restrictions from some Republicans in the Legislature, including a group of lawmakers who sued over the state’s virus orders. Hutchinson last month lifted nearly all of the state’s virus restrictions and has said its mask mandate will end at the end of March if certain health goals are met.

The House also approved by a 67-20 vote legislation requiring the state to refund fines it’s collected for violation of its virus rules.

Hutchinson said he planned to sign the emergency powers changes into law “because it gives the governor the flexibility needed to manage during a crisis.”

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HOT SPRINGS — If you are between the ages of 60 and 85 take advantage of the most positive senior experience of a lifetime after a year of lockdown.

Your time to shine is Saturday, June 5, 2021 in Hot Springs, when the next Ms. Arkansas Senior America is chosen.

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Deadlines are approaching.

Call Pattie Genovese at (501) 622-3131 or email puppylove56@msn.com for information and details.