LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) - Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson said Friday he’s deferring to local police and sheriff’s departments on how they’ll enforce his order requiring people to wear masks to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.
Several sheriffs and police departments said they don’t plan to ticket people for violating the order that takes effect Monday requiring masks in public when social distancing isn’t possible. Violators face a fine of up to $500 but can’t be arrested or detained under Hutchinson’s order, signed Thursday. First-time offenders and people under 18 only receive verbal or written warnings under the order.
Hutchinson, a Republican who had previously resisted issuing such a statewide mandate, said it’s up to local officials on how high of a priority enforcing it should be.
“That is the prerogative of a sheriff, it is the prerogative of the local police department to set their enforcement priorities,” Hutchinson said. “So I defer to them on that. It is an option they can utilize to educate, to enforce and to make sure we all stay healthy in our communities.”
Lonoke County Sheriff John Staley said his deputies won’t ticket people solely for not wearing masks as required, but will respond if someone not wearing a mask refuses to leave a business.
“We don’t have the manpower to be out writing tickets (about masks),” said Staley, who said he supported Hutchinson’s decision to issue the order.
Polk County Sheriff Scott Sawyer wrote on Facebook that he had “neither the time, the personnel, or (in my opinion) the right to write tickets to anyone for not wearing a mask.”
The Texarkana Police Department also said it won’t enforce the requirement.
“While we agree COVID-19 is a serious health issue, TAPD’s primary responsibility and priority is fighting crime and providing police services,” the department said in a statement.
Hutchinson said he planned to speak late Friday afternoon with sheriffs about the mandate.
Hutchinson’s order followed growing support from health and business leaders in the state for a statewide mandate. Previously, the governor had encouraged the use of masks and allowed cities to enact a mask ordinance that did not outline penalties for noncompliance. The order was signed the day after Bentonville-based Walmart said it would require customers to wear face masks.
The Arkansas Health Department said Friday that at least 31,762 people in the state have tested positive for coronavirus, an increase of 648 confirmed cases since Thursday. The department said 6,633 of those cases are considered active, meaning they don’t include people who have died or recovered.
The true number of cases in Arkansas is likely higher because many people have not been tested, and studies suggest people can be infected and not feel sick.
Twelve more people in Arkansas have died from COVID-19, the illness caused by the virus, bringing the state’s total fatalities to 353, the state reported Friday. The number of people hospitalized because of the virus decreased by six to 464.
Organizers also announced Friday that the Arkansas State Fair, originally scheduled for October, will be canceled because of the coronavirus. Arkansas Livestock Show Association, which produces the annual event, said it would focus on resuming the fair in October 2021. The fair draws on average more than 450,000 visitors a year.
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Check out more of the AP’s coronavirus coverage at https://apnews.com/VirusOutbreak and https://apnews.com/UnderstandingtheOutbreak
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