guidelinesvsdirectives
Arkansas changed a laundry list of COVID-19 "directives" to "guidance" Friday, meaning businesses won't be fined for not following them.

Businesses can relax a bit on their COVID-19-related safety measures if they want to, but they probably shouldn’t. And everyone should definitely keep social distancing and wearing a mask, but starting March 31, you don’t have to.

That was the message from Gov. Hutchinson Friday as he announced that bars, restaurants, salons, gyms and other businesses where Arkansans gather will no longer face fines if they fail to follow the state’s guidance on social distancing and crowd control designed to curb coronavirus infection rates.

Advertisement

The changes free up business owners to boost profits by letting in more customers. But they also muddy the waters on what Arkansans are required (expected? asked?) to do to keep themselves and each other safe in the global pandemic.

Hutchinson said he announced the changes today because the state’s public health emergency was set to expire. He extended it through March 31. The governor also announced that the statewide mask mandate will go away at the end of March.

Advertisement

“Even though there’s much more to do, we are on the right path,” he said, pointing to the significant downward trend in COVID-19 infection rates, hospitalizations and deaths in the state. Even without the possibility of fines for flouting pandemic-related guidelines, businesses have an incentive for keeping up social distance protocols. Doing so may provide businesses with some liability protection if staff and customers get sick and sue.

While businesses can relax a bit, Hutchinson said he expects regular Arkansans not to. “We don’t expect a change of behavior. We expect people to keep their noses to grindstone,” he said.

Advertisement

But will they? The nuanced messaging Friday, that businesses can enjoy some new flexibility but that everyone else should stick to rigid pandemic protocols, is a little confusing. Critics were quick to criticize, worried that Arkansans eager to socialize with friends and family after nearly a year of isolation will throw caution to the wind, gathering in large groups and sending infection rates upward again.

kelly krout tweet

Critics worry Friday’s announcement about loosened COVID-19 restrictions will boost infection rates.

Advertisement

“No one really knows what the future holds with COVID. [The governor] might be right,” said Gary Wheeler, a recently retired infectious disease doctor. “The number of cases are going down, and the prevalence of variant strains might not really manifest itself as a threat, in which case this might be a reasonable thing to do.”

State officials can always step back in to reinstate mandates on masks and social distancing if numbers go back up, he said.

Advertisement

But Wheeler said he worried the signal the public takes might not be the one the governor meant to send.

“The problem I have with this announcement is it sends a signal to the public that things are fine now and we can all really lighten up. That’s the wrong message,” Wheeler said.

Advertisement

He pointed to advice from Dr. Anthony Fauci that we may need to be wearing masks into next year. “People need to maintain their vigilance,” Wheeler said.

The changes announced Friday will reach into Arkansas classrooms, but to what extent is up to local school boards. Those school boards have the discretion to keep mask mandates in place or not. And changes in the state’s guidance on social distancing will free school districts up to hold proms, graduations and other large events if they choose to.

Schools will likely keep mask requirements in place, said Kimberly Mundell, director of communications for the Arkansas Department of Education. She expects that school districts will stick to the plans they made at the beginning of the school year to keep onsite students safe.

“We will provide some additional information to schools in the near future; however, all along we have encouraged districts to follow Arkansas Department of Health guidelines, and we will continue to encourage them to do so,” Mundell said in an email Friday. “Arkansas schools have done a great job mitigating the spread of the virus and keeping school buildings open (as reflected by the 80.5 percent of Arkansas students who are attending school onsite either full time or part time), so we encourage schools to continue to follow the guidelines that have worked well this school year.”

Advertisement

Be a Part of the Fight

Step up and make a difference by subscribing or donating to the Arkansas Times, the progressive, alternative newspaper in Little Rock that's been fighting for truth for 50 years. Our tough, determined, and feisty journalism has earned us over 63,000 Facebook followers, 58,000 Twitter followers, 35,000 Arkansas blog followers, and 70,000 daily email blasts, all of whom value our commitment to holding the powerful accountable. But we need your help to do even more. By subscribing or donating, you'll not only have access to all of our articles, but you'll also be supporting our efforts to hire more writers and expand our coverage. Join us in the fight for truth by subscribing or donating to the Arkansas Times today.

Previous article TGIF news roundup and open line Next article Arkansas congressmen opposed COVID relief bill