Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson seeks to reverse mask ban he signed, making him a GOP outlier

Republican Gov. Asa Hutchinson of Arkansas said he regrets signing an April law banning mask mandates as infections soar among the unvaccinated youth there.

Republican Gov. Asa Hutchinson of Arkansas said he regrets signing an April law banning mask mandates and is seeking to reverse it as coronavirus infections soar among unvaccinated youth, making him an outlier among some Republican governors who have doubled down on their anti-masking views. Asked by ABC's "Good Morning America" Chief Anchor George Stephanopoulos on Thursday what changed his thinking, Hutchinson said, "The delta variant hit us hard." Arkansas has seen a 517% increase in the number of virus cases among people under 18 between April and July, according to an Associated Press report. The state, like other hotspots in the country, is experiencing a frightening surge in COVID-19 with 3,000 new cases on Wednesday and 1,232 currently hospitalized, as the delta variant spreads.