Governor Reports First Coronavirus-Related Deaths in State

In his daily briefing Tuesday, Governor Asa Hutchinson reported the state has experienced its first two coronavirus-related deaths. One patient is in their 50s, the other is over 80 years old. The number of positive cases of COVID-19 stands at 218. The governor also announced the state has received 24 pallets of personal protective gear from the national strategic stockpile, which includes about 28,000 masks. Another one million units of PPE should arrive this weekend from the order the state made with the UAMS procurement team. Hutchinson also announced he would like the special legislative session to hash out budget shortfalls to start on Thursday. You can watch the governor's press conference here.