News and Updates
Latest Updates
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Governor Hutchinson Provides Today’s COVID-19 Update
In its Thursday update, the Arkansas Department of Health reported 1,086 new cases; 7,061 active cases; 457 hospitalized, which is down 11 from Wednesday; 97 on ventilators, which is up 7 from Wednesday; deaths added today, 17, for a total of 1,246; a total of 79,049 cases; 68,902 recoveries; PCR te
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Governor Hutchinson Provides Today’s COVID-19 Update
In its Wednesday update, the Arkansas Department of Health reported 982 new cases; 6,777 active cases; 468 hospitalized, which is up 9 from Tuesday; 90 on ventilators, which is up 2 from Tuesday; deaths added today, 20, for a total of 1,229; a total of 77,963 cases; 68,178 recoveries; PCR tests, 6,4
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Governor Hutchinson Provides Today’s COVID-19 Update
In its Monday update, the Arkansas Department of Health reported 616 new cases; 6,706 active cases; 447 hospitalized, which is up 35 from Sunday; 97 on ventilators, which is up 12 from Sunday; deaths added today, 15, for a total of 1,197; a total of 76,364 cases; 66,934 recoveries; PCR tests, 7,657;
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Governor Hutchinson Announces Record Antigen Testing in Today’s COVID-19 Update
In its Friday update, the Arkansas Department of Health reported 724 new cases; 5,767 active cases; 381 hospitalized, which is down 8 from Thursday; 77 on ventilators, which is up 5 from Thursday; a total of 72,338 cases; and 65,542 recoveries. The Health Department reported that the top counties f
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Governor Hutchinson Releases Statement on Today’s COVID-19 Numbers
“The increased use of antigen point-of-care testing is encouraging. This shows our investment in point-of-care testing is helping address the new demand for rapid tests on our K-12 and college campuses. Today’s report includes almost 10,000 tests between the PCR tests and the antigen tests. Of cours
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Governor Hutchinson’s Weekly Address | For a Fair, Complete, and Safe Election Day
This is Labor Day weekend, which means summer is over, and we’re heading into the election season. This election will be unlike any our nation has ever experienced, and today I’d like to talk about some of the things we are doing to ensure that every eligible voter has the opportunity to safely cast
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Governor Hutchinson’s Weekly Address | Preserving the Main Streets of Arkansas
The COVID-19 pandemic has threatened the survival of many small businesses in Arkansas, and today I’d like to share good news about a grant program that will help. It is the Arkansas Historic Preservation and Main Street Arkansas grants. First, though, I’d like to discuss the good news about our une
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Be Aware of Potential Scams
The Arkansas Department of Health is warning about two separate potential scams in recent days in which scammers posed as officials to try and extract payment from victims. In one case, a caller purporting to be a contact tracer directed a person to quarantine and said they needed to provide a credi
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Governor Hutchinson’s Weekly Address | Leveling the Broadband Playing Field
COVID-19 has highlighted some of the shortcomings of our broadband connectivity, but the pandemic also has created opportunities for us to accelerate our expansion of internet service, which I’d like to talk about today. Earlier this year, I created a steering committee to study our needs and recomm
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Governor Hutchinson Proclaims COVID-19 A Valid Reason to Vote Absentee
Governor Asa Hutchinson issued an executive order today that allows Arkansans to vote absentee if they are concerned that voting in person may be a risk to their health or the health of others because of COVID-19. Executive Order 20-44 also allows elections officials to start processing the absentee
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Governor Hutchinson Creates Advisory Group To Advise High School Sports During Pandemic
Governor Asa Hutchinson has appointed 14 physicians, mental health professionals, coaches, and educators to the High School Sports Advisory Group, which he created to consider the safest way to conduct sports and activities for the 2020-2021 school year. The Department of Health will continue its re
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Governor Hutchinson Announces $10 Million for Wi-Fi Access Devices for Arkansas Schools
Governor Asa Hutchinson announced today the Arkansas Department of Education (ADE) has signed agreements with AT&T and T-Mobile to purchase Wi-Fi access points and data plans at a reduced cost for every school district in the state. Students will receive the devices and internet access at no cos
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Gov. Hutchinson to Implement Statewide Mask Mandate – Effective July 20
Published by Talk Business and Politics – July 16, 2020 Gov. Asa Hutchinson on Thursday (July 16) issued a statewide mandate requiring the use of a face mask, citing the rising number of cases and input from healthcare workers, legislators and others who said it is necessary to address the spread of
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Governor Hutchinson’s Weekly Address | Voting in the Age of COVID-19
The leaders of the major political parties in Arkansas are united in their determination to assure everyone can cast their ballot in November safely and securely. Under state law, a voter who can’t vote in person on Election Day because of travel, illness, or physical disability may cast an absentee
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Answer the Call: ADH Contact Tracers May Reach Out
When a patient tests positive for COVID-19, case investigators and contact tracers work backwards to trace where the person has been and who has potentially been exposed. This work is called contact tracing, and it’s a critical step toward containing the spread of the virus. It means that a contact
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Arkansas Adult Survey Conducted by Runway Group
The Runway Group recently commissioned a survey to measure responses to COVID-19. The questionnaire incudes topics regarding the use of Personal Protective Equipment, the 2020-2021 school year and sentiment regarding the state's reopening. The statewide survey was conducted by Gilmore Strategy Group
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Governor Hutchinson Announces Cities May Implement Mandatory Mask Ordinance
LITTLE ROCK – Governor Asa Hutchinson announced cities across the state may implement an ordinance requring mandatory face coverings to help curb the spread of COVID-19 by signing Executive Order 20-41 on Friday. "This provides a local option for cities to give them more flexibility if they have a c
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Statement from Steuart Walton, Chairman, Arkansas Economic Recovery Task Force on Governor’s Proclamation on Mask Ordinances
July 3, 2020 “Governor Hutchinson’s balanced approach of giving cities the option to enact mask ordinances where most needed helps us protect the health of Arkansans and ensure the economy can continue to recover.”
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Summer Safety: Fireworks, Food, Swim, Heat, and COVID-19
The Fourth of July is coming up this week, so it’s an important time to remember firework, food, swim and heat safety along with precautions to prevent the spread of COVID-19. COVID-19 Precautions Arkansans are advised to wear face coverings in both indoor and outdoor environments where they are exp
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Governor Hutchinson’s Weekly Address | Arkansans Getting Back on Their Feet
LITTLE ROCK – We started reopening the economy in May, and today I’d like to talk about the encouraging numbers that we’re already seeing. More than 45,000 Arkansans are back at work. Our unemployment rate, which has remained below the national rate, dropped from 10.8 percent in April to 9.5 percent
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