As of Friday, June 26, teens and adults must wear face masks in public places in Little Rock where 6 feet of social distancing cannot be maintained. Scott said on social media that he signed the order in the best interest of the city’s public health and economy.
Members of the public, except for specifically stated exemptions, are “exhorted” to wear face coverings when inside of or in line to enter any business; at the entrance to and inside elevators in all public and private buildings; engaged in essential infrastructure work; waiting, riding or driving public transportation, including buses, taxis, private car services and ride-sharing vehicles. The order exempts persons inside a personal office when no other person is present, children 12 and younger, or people who have medical issues with wearing a mask.
Governor Asa Hutchinson announced that cities across the state may implement such ordinances requiring mandatory face coverings to help curb the spread of COVID-19 by signing Executive Order 20-41. The Governor stated, “this provides a local option for cities to give them more flexibility if they have a community in which they might have a surge in cases.”
Mayor Scott stressed that the City of Little Rock order does not hinder on Gov. Asa Hutchinson’s commerce restrictions, so it is still up to the businesses to mandate masks for members of the public. “We’re encouraging and urging our businesses to follow suit with creating safety precautions for their customers and we also understand that certain businesses do have issues that are unique to them and we don’t want to get in the way of those businesses,” Scott said.
However, all businesses as well as entities engaged in essential infrastructure work or essential government functions except health care, which is subject to its own regulations, are to require their employees, contractors, owners and volunteers to wear face coverings when interacting with the public, working in any space visited by members of the public and in any room or enclosed area where others are present.
