The number of positive covid-19 cases in Arkansas neared 4,000 Saturday, officials said, driven by 64 new cases in communities and 173 previously reported cases at the Forrest City federal prison that the state has now formally added to the total.
Two additional people have died, Gov. Asa Hutchinson said at his daily briefing Saturday, raising the number of covid-19 deaths in Arkansas to 90.
At the briefing, Hutchinson pointed out that the state's number of active cases of the coronavirus -- a category excluding people who have recovered or died from it -- has trended down since late April, when Arkansas had more than 1,400 active cases. That number was down to 837 as of Saturday, according to the Department of Health.
The governor also revised the state cap on the number of people allowed in indoor and outdoor venues beginning later this month. That cap previously was 50 people but is now one-third of a venue's capacity, provided that the venue receives approval from the Department of Health after submitting a detailed plan for reopening.
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The change, which the governor said was made in the spirit of consistency and fairness, corrects a discrepancy that would have effectively allowed more people in casinos than in other venues.
The governor also urged vigilance for residents who, tempted to enjoy the warm, sunny weather in Central Arkansas, might forget about coronavirus precautions.
Hutchinson encouraged people enjoying outdoor activities to stay "on the safe side" by continuing to wear masks and practicing social distancing. Arkansas is still experiencing community spread of the coronavirus, he noted.
"The virus does not take any days off," he said.
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TWO NEW DEATHS
The total number of covid-19 cases in Arkansas rose by 237 to 3,984 on Saturday, a much greater increase than the day before. Between Thursday afternoon and Friday afternoon, the state reported just 82 new cases -- 12 of them from previously reported test results in prison -- and no new deaths.
However, the increase was largely attributable to 173 infections at the Forrest City federal prison that were previously reported but now have been added to the state's official total, Arkansas Department of Health Secretary Nate Smith said Saturday.
Of the state's 837 active cases as of Saturday, Smith said 275 are in lockups, 88 are in nursing homes and 474 are in the community.
Sixty-four people are hospitalized, the same number as Friday, and 13 people are on ventilators, Smith said.
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Of the 237 new cases reported Saturday, 64 were from communities, Smith said. No new counties reported covid-19 cases.
There was lag time between when officials from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention received positive test results from individuals at the Forrest City prison and when those 173 new cases were formally entered into the Arkansas Department of Health's case count, Smith said.
"These are not new cases that occurred or were diagnosed in the last 24 hours. These actually had been tested by the CDC, and there was a few days' delay in getting those results," Smith said.
Two prisons in Arkansas have been stricken with coronavirus outbreaks. According to the Department of Health, 301 inmates at the federal prison in Forrest City have tested positive for covid-19 along with 14 staff members. At the Cummins Unit, in Lincoln County, 876 inmates and 54 staff members have tested positive. At least four inmates from the Cummins Unit have died of covid-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus.
A mobile testing unit from the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences was scheduled to visit Forrest City again on Friday to conduct additional testing of community members. Officials from the Department of Health were also scheduled to conduct tests in Forrest City of prison employees and their family members that day, UAMS Chancellor Cam Patterson said Friday.
Arkansas nursing homes reported 16 additional residents and six staff members who have tested positive for the virus, Smith said Saturday, raising the total number of infected nursing home residents and staff members to 286 and 166, respectively.
Nursing homes have become hotbeds for the pandemic in Arkansas and around the country. So far, 37 nursing home residents in Arkansas are believed to have died of covid-19.
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VENUE CAPACITY
Regarding Saturday's venues announcement, Hutchinson cleared up a discrepancy in directives for reopening casinos versus those for reopening large indoor sites.
He announced that "for consistency purposes, as well as being fair," the state will revise a previous plan and allow all indoor and outdoor venues, not just casinos, to operate at one-third capacity after May 18. If one-third capacity means the venue can host more than 50 people, then the facility must submit a detailed written plan to the Department of Health for approval, Hutchinson and Smith said.
On Thursday, Hutchinson had said casinos were going to be allowed to reopen May 18 at one-third capacity. But in a separate directive earlier last week, the Department of Health said large indoor venues such as arenas, stadiums, movie theaters and bowling alleys would be allowed to reopen with no more than 50 people inside, potentially allowing casinos to host more people than other indoor venues.
Under the new plan, on May 18, large indoor and outdoor venues can operate with up to one-third capacity. For venues with 50 patrons or fewer, no plan is required to be submitted to the Department of Health, Smith said.
Smith indicated that the directives will be posted early this week.
UNEMPLOYMENT SURGES
More unemployment checks are being issued in Arkansas, according to the governor, amid a historic crash in the labor market and a nationwide unemployment rate that's not been seen since the Great Depression.
Hutchinson said 92,000 unemployment checks were issued as of last week. He said he expects more than 100,000 checks to be issued Monday.
These benefits "will put much-needed resources in individuals' pockets that have been laid off or are currently unemployed," Hutchinson said.
Many Arkansans have experienced significant, time-consuming problems when navigating the state's unemployment process, the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette has reported, including lengthy waits while standing in line at unemployment offices around the state and issues that can't be resolved over the phone because of a nonresponsive toll-free hot line.
More than 33 million Americans have filed for unemployment benefits over the past seven weeks, according to the U.S. Department of Labor. On Friday, the department's Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that the nation's unemployment rate rose to 14.7% in April as the economy shed 20.5 million jobs.
In Arkansas, 170,000 claims had been filed as of April 24, Secretary of Commerce Mike Preston said at the time.
Metro on 05/10/2020