Biden calls Arkansas' Republican Governor Asa Hutchinson to 'commend' his effort to increase vaccines after admitting the ban on mask mandates was an 'error'
President Joe Biden called Gov. Asa Hutchinson of Arkansas to thank him for work increasing the vaccine rate in his state, the White House announced Tuesday, after officials have been criticizing other Republican governors for flouting public health recommendations.
Biden spoke with Hutchinson on Monday and 'commended' him for 'his efforts to get more Arkansans vaccinated.'
He also praised the state for seeing its vacation rate spike as the Delta variant caused an increased number of COVID cases.
In Arkansas, which is seeing the third-worst COVID outbreak in the country based on daily new cases per capita, vaccinations have nearly tripled since July.
President Joe Biden called Republican Gov. Asa Hutchinson of Arkansas to thank him for work increasing the vaccine rate in his state
Other Southern states that have seen high COVID case rates are also seeing higher vaccination rates: Mississippi, Louisiana and Alabama have seen the seven-day average of daily first doses more than double since the start of July, according to CC data.
The White House has been attacking Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida and Greg Abbott of Texas for pushing back on CDC recommendations on mask wearing as COVID cases rise in their state.
Last week, White House press secretary Jen Psaki compared DeSantis' behavior to that of other Republican governors, saying the 'vast majority of governors - Republican governors - are doing exactly the right thing' on the pandemic.
She specifically cited Hutchinson and Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan - for their work.
Hutchinson said recently he regretted signing a law banning local mask mandates.
Meanwhile, DeSantis has threatened to withhold salaries from school superintendents or board members who ignore his executive order banning compulsory face masks for students.
The GOP governor issued a statement containing his latest salvo against pro-maskers Monday, after taking action to ban compulsory masks in Sunshine State schools and offering to pay private school tuition for parents who fear they'll be shamed for refusing to cover their kids' faces.
De Santis's statement read 'With respect to enforcing any financial consequences for noncompliance of state law regarding these rules and ultimately the rights of parents to make decisions about their children’s education and health care decisions, it would be the goal of the State Board of Education to narrowly tailor any financial consequences to the offense committed.'
Gov. Ron DeSantis faces backlash in Florida after threatening to cut school officials' salaries if they put mask wearing mandates in place
Greg Abbott, pictured on June 30, is asking medical staff to travel to Texas to assist with the surge in COVID cases. Only Florida is seeing more new infections at the moment
The statement was released in the midst of an ongoing battle over mandating masks in schools, a topic that has caused division in school districts across the state as the Delta variant continues to spread before the start of the new school year.
At least one superintendent offered an immediate and defiant response to DeSantis's salary threat. Leon County School Superintendent Rocky Hanna told school officials on Monday that 'you can't put a price tag on someone's life including my salary.'
He added: 'We want to make sure that children also have access to a high quality education but they can't if they're sick and in the hospital.'
And, in Texas, Gov. Abbott issued an urgent appeal for medical staff to come and assist with surging COVID cases - even as he resists calls to reinstate a mask mandate.
Abbott made his cry for help as the rolling two-week daily average of new COVID-19 cases in his state has increased by 165 per cent to 8,533, according to Johns Hopkins University research data.
Announcing his new measures Monday, Abbott tweeted: 'Today I announced new measures to respond to the spread of COVID-19: Bring in additional medical personnel to staff hospitals.'
About 45 per cent of the state's population has been vaccinated against the coronavirus, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, putting Texas well into the bottom half of the vaccination 'league table'. Vermont is currently the highest performing, with 78 per cent of all residents fully vaccinated, and Mississippi and Alabama the worst with around 40 per cent.
Texas currently ranks second behind Florida for the highest daily average COVID-19 cases.