Arkansas reaches 25,000 virus cases; increases noted in rural counties

LITTLE ROCK (KATV) — Arkansas reported 734 new cases of COVID-19 on Wednesday, pushing the state past 25,000 total cases.

Four more people had died from the virus bringing the state’s death toll to 305.

There were 5,545 active cases in Arkansas, up from 5,486 reported Tuesday. There were fewer people hospitalized for the virus on Wednesday after Arkansas reported record high hospitalizations the previous day; 358 people are hospitalized for the virus and 79 patients are on ventilators.

Of the new cases, 72 came from Washington County, 87 came from Pulaski County, 60 came from Benton County.

Five new, and more rural, counties experienced a jump in cases on Wednesday, officials reported. Forty-six new cases came from Pope County, 39 came from Mississippi County, 32 came from Yell County, 26 came from Johnson County and 21 came from Saline County. Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson said that the increase in those counties partially comes from more widespread testing.

Officials are going to De Queen on Friday to focus on smaller communities with a high rate of cases, according to state Secretary of Health Dr. Nate Smith.

“This isn’t just a big city problem,” Smith said.

Hutchinson said fewer than 2 percent of the new cases were traced back to restaurants, bars or gyms that have been reopened as the state lifts COVID-19 restrictions. Officials cautioned against all gatherings, even small ones, where attendees aren’t wearing masks.

“We’re at a phase of this epidemic where we’re not seeing it in particular settings,” Smith said. “This is in the community, where someone with it is likely to take it home with them.”

At the briefing, Steuart Walton, Chairman of the Arkansas Economic Recovery Task Force, presented the results of a recent poll conducted by the state about COVID-19 in Arkansas. The results show that 42 percent of Arkansans said COVID-19 is the most important issue facing Arkansas and 82 percent said they wear masks. Hutchinson said he interprets these results as 82 percent of Arkansans wear a mask sometimes, not all of the time.

Of those who took the poll, 59 percent of people said they’re likely to send their kids back to school this fall.

Hutchinson responded on Wednesday to President Trump’s comments that schools that don’t reopen in the fall could lose federal funding.

“We’re going to start school this year with in-classroom instruction, with a blended environment and option to go virtual as needed,” he said. “That’s where we’re going.”

The state will make its decisions on reopening based on public health, according to the governor. He said as schools and universities open in the fall, “there’s going to be positive cases and we just have to deal with it.”

Hutchinson said that officials will focus on education during a press briefing Thursday.