COVID-19 Cases, Deaths Continue To Break Records in December

Mental health professionals are reporting more children and adults are seeking out their services during the pandemic. We speak with parents, teachers and therapists to find out how the global health crisis is impacting students as they attend school in person, virtually and everything in between. For more information about the free and anonymous Stay Positive Arkansas program, click here.

Alpha Medical Laboratory will administer and process COVID-19 PCR tests on a walk-in or appointment basis at Tulsa International Airport starting Jan. 4, 2021. Testing will be open to all ticketed passengers who are flying or have flown within three days and can show proof of travel.

With the CDC moratorium on eviction set to expire Dec. 31, activists gathered at the governor's mansion in Little Rock and the governor's home in Rogers this week to demand action from the state in the form a state moratorium and financial assistance to renters. At the same time, renters, landlords and advocates wait anxiously for the U.S. Congress to pass another stimulus package that includes rental and utility assistance and a moratorium extension, as well as direct payments to taxpayers.

Following a record year as more people jumped at the chance to spend time outdoors during the pandemic, Arkansas State Parks is cutting back hours and operations at its visitor centers, museums, restaurants and two marinas in response to a surge in COVID-19 cases. 

Governor Asa Hutchinson delivered his weekly coronavirus response briefing a day after the first shipment of Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine arrived in Arkansas, but cases and deaths from the virus continue to rise. According to Arkansas Secretary of Health Dr. Jose Romero, the spread of COVID-19 is not under control. Hutchinson said distribution of the vaccine is going well and the state is prepared to handle the complicated logistics of distribution in the future.