Gov. Asa Hutchinson discussed his need to bolster covid-19 vaccinations in Arkansas, as well as his support for the national $1.2 trillion bipartisan infrastructure proposal, during a Sunday morning appearance on CNN’s “State of the Union.”
Hutchinson told CNN’s Dana Bash that he does not think Arkansas is headed for a third covid-19 surge despite the arrival of the delta variant and the state’s lagging vaccination rate. The number of active cases, or Arkansans who have contracted the disease but have not yet recovered, stood Friday at 4,398, its highest level since February and more than twice as high as the number three months ago.
In response to whether he would reinstate restrictions such as mask mandates, Hutchinson said the solution is the vaccinations.
“It is our younger adults now getting hit with the delta variant, which is more contagious, [has] more severe consequences,” he said. “And that’s the concern that is causing an increase in hospitalizations.”
Urgency to vaccinate diminished over time as cases dropped, Hutchinson said, though he added that the rate of vaccinations is picking back up. Hutchinson said the focus needs to be on public awareness and on making vaccines accessible through employers, as well as at events such as Little Rock’s Pops on the River Fourth of July celebration.
On infrastructure legislation, Hutchinson said he supports the traditional funding of roads and bridges, though he also supports the inclusion of broadband and some water projects.
As for the more sweeping proposal that President Joe Biden calls “human infrastructure,” which stresses Democratic priorities and would be passed through the reconciliation process, Hutchinson said he does not want that to pass. The Arkansas governor said it would cost too much and burden the next generation.