Arkansas’ GOP Gov. Asa Hutchinson said Sunday there won’t be any busts or citations at churches around the state that ignore guidelines against large gatherings.

In an interview on CNN’s “State of the Union,” Hutchinson, whose state is one of eight that hasn’t issued a stay-at-home order, admitted there was one Arkansas church that didn’t follow the recommendation against large gatherings.

“Because they're guidelines, there's not going to be any arrests made or citations made,” he said.

“But the consequence would be that if there's a serious health risk because of a gathering, we'll give a very specific directive and have a discussion with that church, which happened in one. The pastor responded very quickly when our public health officials went there.”

“So just virtually all of the churches in Arkansas are following the guidelines very carefully. They're just as concerned about their parishioners as I am as governor. And so we're worshipping remotely this Easter. And I expect everybody to make sure they follow those social distancing guidelines and not gather whenever you have a risk.”

Hutchinson said his state’s“targeted approach” has worked and doesn’t need a blanket quarantine at this time.

“Our approach, emphasizing the masks, the social distancing, being in it for the long term, being able to have a modicum of business that's going ahead and functioning out there, that's important balance that we have in our state,” he said.

“If we need to do more, we will do more,” he added. “So that's always an option on the table if we have to shelter in place.”

Related Stories: