By: Bill Kopsky, Executive Director
Governor Hutchinson has claimed throughout this pandemic that he is doing the absolute most to protect Arkansas from COVID, and that there is nothing more that can be done. This is patently not true; I have a list of actions he should take, and I’m sure others have more to add, too.
While Arkansas ranks near last in per capita COVID mortality, the Governor regularly goes on the offensive to criticize President Biden’s response as “too aggressive.” To cover his backside, he’s set up strawman arguments on why he can’t do more. He said lockdowns, mask or vaccine mandates, and statewide school closures are unworkable and don’t have political support.
I agree with him, but that does not mean that there’s not much more he CAN do to help protect our kids and communities. Community spread is nearing 50 percent, and hospitalizations, deaths, and juvenile hospitalizations are all rising dramatically. And the state is sitting on another large surplus. There is plenty the Governor and other authorities can and should do now.
The Governor should do much more to promote vaccines by:
Having more public events across the state where he is personally promoting vaccines and boosters.
Investing much more in engaging faith and community leaders to help with vaccine outreach and distribution.
Proposing a significant tax credit for people who get the vaccine and booster, and a significant child tax credit for families who vaccinate their children.
Requiring unvaccinated state employees to work remotely.
The Governor should publicly and forcefully confront misinformation on vaccines, masks, and COVID by:
Calling out elected officials who spread false information, including state lawmakers making misleading statements in legislative meetings.
Directing state agency leaders to call out and correct misinformation they hear spread by elected officials.
Proposing new legislation that makes it illegal to knowingly spread misinformation about the pandemic. This could be done in a way to protect the First Amendment rights of people’s beliefs, but target political tricksters and fraudsters who know the information they are spreading is false.
The Governor should do much more to promote masking and testing by:
Stating to the public and media that mask mandates should be in place when community spread is sky-high, even if the legislature won’t allow him to mandate that. This would provide cover to school districts and local officials to take that step on their own by making it clear that he believes it is necessary.
Surging the availability of free rapid COVID testing. Making some home tests available is a good step, but he should go much further. Many pharmacies are offering rapid testing for around $70-$100 —- beyond the means of many families of four. The Governor should commit to reimbursing any entity capable of administering a COVID test for the costs, and ban them from charging consumers during the crisis.
Providing grants to businesses who need support to implement mask mandates, virtual work settings, and more that protects employees and the public.
Requiring all state employees to wear masks. While community spread is above 10 percent, he should require non-essential state government employees to work virtually unless they test negative daily.
The Governor should do much more to protect and support students and educators during the crisis by:
Establishing clear, scientifically backed criteria for when schools should go to virtual learning. This should include factors like when:
Community spread is above 10 percent.
When schools do not have the capacity to test each student and staff member at least weekly.
When schools do not have adequate mask requirements in place.
When schools do not have adequate air filtration and other safety protocols in place.
Implementing a strict student-to-teacher ratio so a school that cannot maintain a reasonable ratio in a safe setting is required to suspend in-person learning.
Dramatically expanding the number of school vaccine and booster clinics.
Providing clear permission for schools to use their judgement on other safety measures.
Investing in strategies to keep kids safe and nurtured when they do not have the ability to remain home when districts switch to virtual. This could include investing in community spaces where students can remain socially distanced and masked but still receive the support and supervision they need.
Dramatically expanding the testing capacity of schools. This would require a much greater quantity of rapid tests, and the additional staffing capacity to test each student and staff member at least weekly.
Providing much greater support to teachers who are burning out or leaving the field because they are frightened for their safety. He should:
Provide hazard pay increases to teachers and school staff and offer retention incentives.
Recruit former teachers who’ve left the field to come back with incentives like tax credits and loan forgiveness programs.
It’s time for the Governor to show more leadership by:
Declaring a state of emergency — even if the legislature limited what power he has in an emergency. The public needs to understand that we are in crisis, and the Governor could provide political cover to local authorities by taking some of the heat for declaring an emergency.
Publicly stating that group settings of unmasked people, like restaurants and athletic events, should be closed until community spread drops below his previous 10 percent threshold, or the CDC’s recommended 5 percent threshold. Even if the Legislature won’t allow him to ban unsafe congregant settings, he can say they should be closed to send the public a clear message.
He should provide financial support for businesses that choose to close while community spread is at unacceptable levels.
Omicron’s surge will hopefully pass soon, but we cannot ignore that future waves are likely. Living with the virus means that we must learn and adapt, and our leaders should set an example. Governor Hutchinson must do more to lead Arkansas and encourage mayors, school officials, and the public to join him in protecting our children and communities.