Gov. Asa Hutchinson said today that Little Rock Mayor Frank Scott Jr.’s order that people wear face masks in public places was “supportive of state directives.”

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He said it “yielded” to state guidance. He said it was in essence only “an encouragement to people to wear masks.”

The mayor’s “order,” he noted, exempts private businesses that serve the public (just about all of them, in other words, unless otherwise covered as restaurants, bars, barbers, salons and a few others are by specific state directives). The governor quoted this portion of the mayor’s proclamation:

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I asked the mayor’s PR spokesman, a private contractor, about this. Stephanie Jackson’s response:

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Mayor Scott’s executive order clearly requires masks in public spaces with the appropriate state commerce exemptions.

Doesn’t that mean, for example, that no one in a Home Depot or Kroger is required to wear a mask? I’ve asked Jackson this. Will pass along her response. But the answer seems to be that it is NOT required.

The declaration specifically mentions grocery stores, laundromats and other businesses, but in that section merely “exhorts” people to wear masks. The governor himself noted that distinction when a reporter pressed him on grocery stores.

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“By its own language it is supportive of our directives,” the governor said. The mayor recognizes that and “submits” to that, he said.

“As I read the proclamation it is an encouragement to wear masks,” Hutchinson said.

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Me, too. A lot of words that don’t change rules much in Little Rock.

The daily coronavirus count

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The number of new cases in Arkansas rose 678 in 24 hours (all but nine “community” cases and thus the biggest single-day count for non-prison cases), from 18,062 to 18,740. Deaths rose by seven to 249. Hospitalizations were unchanged at 284. 5,707 cases are active, with 4,978 outside nursing homes and prisons.

Almost 7,000 tests were done, which means a positivity rate nearing 10 percent by simply comparing new cases with tests, but those numbers aren’t necessarily from the same time period.

Top counties for the day’s new cases: Washington, 122; Pulaski, 84; Benton, 68; Sebastian, 33; Faulkner, 31; Crittenden, 26; Pope, 22.

The governor spent some time on hospital capacity, still sufficient for needs. He also still insists there’s no correlation between lifting restrictions and people who’ve become infected. For example, the positive cases include only 2 percent who’ve been to restaurants. But they’ve also been to other places released from strict guidance and some (churches) that were never under guidelines. My question: Are people just becoming infected by magic?

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The governor said ABC agents had been directed to report to the Health Department any bars or restaurants that aren’t complying with guidelines. This follows Florida’s decision to suspend alcohol service in bars because of an explosion of COVID-19 cases.

The governor was asked why churches aren’t being put under group restrictions as other places have been given the clusters of church cases that have been found. “I fully respect the separation between government action and the role of the church and so I’ve avoided giving directives to the church.” He said churches are “by and large” following guidelines and the state will call a pastor if it learns a church isn’t following the suggested guidelines. Health Director Nate Smith said churches have temporarily stopped meeting in cases of some outbreaks. He said churches didn’t intentionally put people at risk, but had “miscalculated.”

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Hutchinson was asked about Secretary of State John Thurston’s statement that voters can request absentee ballots to avoid crowds. “It certainly indicates so to me,” the governor said. He agreed that those with concerns would be “unavoidably absent.” He said he hoped to get more input, but added:

“Looks to me like it remedies some of the challenges voters were facing.”

He didn’t address whether the state would mail absentee applications, pay for postage or otherwise facilitate more absentee mail voting. These are among the remedies sought in a lawsuit seeking to strike the “unavoidably absent” oath from absentee ballot applications.

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