Republican Governor at Mt. Rushmore event: ‘There should have been face linings’

Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson (R) said Sunday that “there should have been face coatings” at the July 4 event at Mount Rushmore late last week.

Hutchinson told NBC’s “Meet the Press” that he believes the event was a “good” way to “celebrate our independence” in a “controlled environment.” But he said he wanted more people to wear face covers.

“Obviously, I would have liked to see more facial covers to lead by example,” said Hutchinson.

“Right now there is viral fatigue in our country and you have to live life.” You can’t stop every activity, “he said. “But you have to be in a controlled environment where you protect yourself and others and take it seriously.”

CLOCK: Governor Asa Hutchinson (R-Ark.) Says he “would have liked to see more facial covers” on Mount Rushmore to “give an example,” but calls it a “controlled environment.” #MTP #IfItsSunday

Governor @AsaHutchinson: “They should have followed the guidelines there.” pic.twitter.com/4t2yLaFQhs

– Meet the Press (@MeetThePress) July 5, 2020

NBC’s Andrea Mitchell pressured Hutchinson, saying there was “absolutely no social distancing” at the South Dakota event, which President TrumpDonald John Trump protesters tear down the Christopher Columbus statue on Baltimore Independence Day star Bill Pullman, urging Americans to wear a “mask of freedom” on July 4. attended.

“There should have been covers for the face,” he said. “They should have followed the guidelines there.”

But Hutchinson argued that the event was in a “controlled environment,” as “it was not something established at the last minute.”

The Arkansas governor also said that if the president wanted to organize a rally within his state, “there would have to be social distance and wear a mask if social distance is not possible.”

“We have to follow our guidelines, and that is what we would insist on,” he said.

President spoke at the Mount Rushmore event, which was held outside, on Friday to a mostly unmasked crowd. Trump himself has hesitated to appear in public with a mask.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends wearing a mask in public, “especially when other measures of social distancing are difficult to maintain.”

Arkansas has confirmed 23,209 cases of COVID-19, leading to 286 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University. Meanwhile, South Dakota has documented 7,028 total positive cases of COVID-19 during the pandemic and 97 deaths.