Gov. Asa Hutchinson said Thursday that five more people in Arkansas have tested positive for covid-19, bringing the total number of cases in the state to six.
The first presumptive case was confirmed Wednesday.
Hutchinson said the patients are associated with Saline, Jefferson, Pulaski and Grant counties.
Schools in those counties have been advised to close to curtail further spread of the illness.
[FULL LIST: Latest cancellations » arkansasonline.com/news/2020/mar/12/coronavirus-cancellations/]
Four of the new cases are people who had contact with the patient in Pine Bluff who tested presumptive positive. One of the new patients is not connected to the others and is believed to have acquired the illness through out-of-state travel.
One of the new patients who tested presumptively positives is a resident physician who came into contact with the Pine Bluff patient, according to a statement from Arkansas Children’s Hospital, where the resident has also worked.
The hospital is working to determine who, including patients, may have come in contact with the physician.
Dr. Nathaniel Smith, the state Health Secretary, said that the additional cases identified on Thursday did not indicate community spread "at this time." He said that community spread would likely be determined if additional patients test positive without any contacts with people known to be infected.
The initial patient who tested positive in Pine Bluff likely acquired the disease in New Orleans during Mardi Gras, Smith said. He said the Health Department cannot identify the state that is the source of the second Arkansan to test positive after out-of-state travel.
Officials said all of the five new cases are outpatient as of Thursday afternoon and none of the patients have required hospitalization.
None of the five had been quarantined prior to testing.
Check back for updates and read Friday's Arkansas Democrat-Gazette for full details.
[Video not showing up above? Click here to view » https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pQIF1OAShc4]
This story was originally published at 2 p.m.
John Moritz contributed to this story.