Mask Mandate in Arkansas Ends

I am fuming. Asa Hutchinson has, going against all evidence and logic, repealed the state mask mandate. He dragged his feet in making it a mandate to begin with and only caved when Walmart required masks in all their stores. And now, when there was finally hope on the horizon that the worst of the pandemic might be winding down as vaccines roll out (slowly, here), he's gone and done this. 

And because Cedarville is Cedarville, the school has immediately jumped on board and stopped requiring that the students, teachers, and staff wear masks. I am so glad the kids are homeschooled now, because I would have pulled them out immediately. 

Here's the thing. Say all adults in Arkansas get vaccinated by the end of May. ALL THE KIDS STILL WON'T BE PROTECTED. Why are people so willing to put kids at risk? I am honestly having a hard time not crying when I think about it. Old people are no longer at the highest risk because they've been vaccinated, and now everyone wants to go shopping without that pesky bit of cloth on their face, so they're willing to increase the risk for ALL THE CHILDREN. MY children, who want to see their grandparents and friends and teachers and cousins, and basically anyone outside of this house. 

I'm so, so tired, and feel so, so betrayed. We have sacrificed and sacrificed and sacrificed this year, and we are thanked for this by a governor basically deciding to make the pandemic last even longer. 

So glad I took my kids to the Nature Center before 
the mask mandate was repealed. Because we won't
be going back until they get a vaccine. In like 2022. 
(And yes, I know William's nose is showing here, 
that mask kept slipping and I kept tugging it back into place).