Of the state's 75 counties, only four remain with no active covid-19 cases: Calhoun, Fulton, Little River and Montgomery counties.
• Calhoun County, in the south, with a population of 5,189, has one testing site, which is located at a rural medical clinic. Twelve patients have been tested.
• Fulton County, on the border with Missouri, with a population of 12,269, has one site, the Fulton County Hospital. Currently, 22 residents have been tested for the virus.
• Little River County, in the southwest corner, has a population of 12,259. It has no testing sites. Currently, 33 have been tested.
• Montgomery County, just west of Hot Springs, has a population of 8,924. It has one testing site, a clinic in Mount Ida. Twenty residents have been tested.
Sammy Jones, county judge of Montgomery County, said some residents are also traveling to Hot Springs for testing.
"We're a small population," Jones said. "We don't have big gatherings. And if you go to the grocery store, most everybody is wearing masks. We just don't get together like the big cities."
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Jim Bicker, county judge of Fulton County, said the authorities and residents there are trying to be "pretty proactive" in preventing the virus from coming to the area. The county courthouse has been locked down for weeks and restaurants and stores have made a "real effort" to protect the public and employees.
"They wear masks and shields and are constantly cleaning," Bicker said. "The citizens up here are taking it very seriously and trying to be very careful."
Still, Bicker said, he knows the situation could change on a dime.
"So far we've been very fortunate, but I don't know how long we will continue to be fortunate," Bicker said. "At some point, we will have a case."
Messages left for Floyd Nutt, county judge of Calhoun County, and for Mike Cranford, county judge of Little River County, were not returned as of late Monday.
A Section on 04/21/2020