MEMPHIS, Tennessee —
In Tuesday's Ransom Note: one more try.
I'm appealing to Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson to do what every state around him has done and issue a stay at home order statewide during the coronavirus pandemic.
But he won't do it. In fact, now we learn he won't let cities do it either. So, mayors of Little Rock and West Memphis are left using the only tool left, imposing curfews.
Hutchinson maintains he's taking a targeted approach. Restaurants are only offering curbside service. He's closed the schools for the rest of the school year and is only allowing gatherings of less than ten people.
He claims it's working, and it's true Arkansas' situation isn't as bad as most surrounding states. In fact, Shelby County, Tennessee, alone has as much as the entire state of Arkansas.
But confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the Natural State rose more than 80% last week.
Governor, if people are travelling freely, what makes you think that won't continue? And why won't you let mayors, who know the closer people live together the bigger the risk, decide for themselves what's best?
