Arkansas Governor Expresses Regret Over, Statewide Mask Ban.br On Sunday, Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinsonbr continued to express regret over his decision to prohibit citizensbr from protecting themselves against COVID-19.br The Republican governor saidbr that his decision in April 2021br to sign a statewide law banningbr mask mandates was “an error.”.br Everything has changed now … And yes, inbr hindsight, I wish that had not become law, Governor Asa Hutchinson, via 'Huffpost'.br Although “cases were low” at the time of his signing,br Gov. Hutchinson acknowledged that the situation has sincebr “roared back” to dangerous levels, due to the delta variant. .br Whenever I signed that law, our cases werebr low, we were hoping that the whole thingbr was gone, in terms of the virus, but it roaredbr back with the delta variant, Governor Asa Hutchinson, via 'Huffpost'.br Gov. Hutchinson went on to say that he has askedbr the legislature to at least “redo” the portion of the lawbr that extends the ban to school districts. .br I realized that we needed to have morebr options for our local school districts tobr protect those children. And so I asked thebr legislature to redo the law that prohibited thosebr requirements or those options for the schoolbr districts to protect the children, Governor Asa Hutchinson, via 'Huffpost'.br There is currently a temporary block in place on thebr enforcement of the state’s mask mandate ban in schools. .br Pulaski County Circuit Judge Tim Fox made hisbr decision to block the law on August 6, in response to abr number of lawsuits filed by parents and a school district. .br He issued the preliminarybr injunction just shortly afterbr the state’s General Assemblybr gathered, yet failed tobr amend the law. .br According to Judge Fox, the law “cannot be enforced inbr any shape, fashion or form” while the lawsuits continue.