Coronavirus: Arkansas, Colorado mandate face coverings to fight surge
Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson announced the order as the state reported one of its biggest single-day increases in confirmed COVID-19 cases.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Both Arkansas and Colorado on Thursday issued statewide mandates requiring people to wear face masks in public amid a resurgence of coronavirus cases throughout the United States in recent weeks.
Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson, a Republican, had resisted a statewide mask mandate and opposed issuing a stay-at-home order earlier in the pandemic, but he announced the mask requirement when social distancing isn't possible in the hopes of slowing the disease's rapid spread in the state.
Hutchinson’s order takes effect Monday.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}FILE: Gov. Asa Hutchinson takes off his Arkansas Razorbacks facemark as he arrives for the daily coronavirus briefing at the state Capitol in Little Rock. (Arkansas Democrat-Gazette via AP)
The governor’s decision comes amid growing support for mask requirements from business and health leaders. He previously encouraged people to wear masks and allowed cities to pass ordinances requiring their use, but stopped short of requiring them statewide.
Arkansas' coronavirus cases have dramatically risen since May, when the state began allowing businesses that had closed because of the pandemic to reopen despite warnings from federal health officials.
Hutchinson announced the order as the state reported one of its biggest single-day increases in confirmed COVID-19 cases. The Health Department on Thursday added 817 new confirmed cases to the state's overall tally 31,114 since the pandemic started. It also raised the state's death toll by six, to 341, and added 12 more patients to the number of people currently hospitalized with the disease, for a total of 470.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}FEWER PEOPLE ARE FLYING IN THE UNITED STATES THAN ARE RIDING THE NYC SUBWAY: REPORT
Meanwhile, Colorado Gov. Jared Polis, a Democrat, announced an executive order Thursday for a statewide requirement for masks to be worn while in public.
FILE: Colorado Governor Jared Polis makes a point during a news conference on the state's efforts to contain the spread of the new coronavirus in Denver. (AP)
“We have a choice in Colorado: either more mask wearing and more attention to social distancing or more damage to our economy and loss of life. That’s an easy decision to make,” Polis said during an afternoon press conference.
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The mandate will be applied to people 10 years and older and goes into effect at midnight. The order will expire in 30 days but can be extended, Denver’s Fox 31 reported.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.