Arkansas’s cases of COVID-19 has increased by 645, according to the latest data by the Arkansas Department of Health, with cumulative cases of the virus now past 50,000. The state is reporting 11 additional deaths, to bring the state’s fatalities from COVID-19 to 555. Hospitalizations dropped by a half-dozen in the most recent 24 hours. The state received more than 5,300 test results and the cumulative positivity rate for tests in Arkansas is 8.8 percent. At today’s briefing Governor Asa Hutchinson expressed he was pleased that the past three days’ case reports have been lower than the reports from early last week, but he says the current numbers are not where Arkansas needs to be. He attributes in part his mask mandate issued last month. As the pandemic continues to deepen, Hutchinson says he wants Congress to find a rapid compromise to a stalemate over extending financial assistance to the unemployed, including 120,000 Arkansans currently on unemployment assistance. He says he and state officials over the weekend considered Trump's executive orders. The Arkansas Education Association today issued a call for the school year to start with only virtual classes. Governor Hutchinson says the state remains committed to starting with in-person classes for all students in Arkansas, in two weeks. To watch the full briefing, click here.
Governor Calls on Congress to Extend Pandemic Unemployment Assistance
