COVID-19 pandemic in Arkansas
The COVID-19 pandemic was confirmed to have reached the U.S. state of Arkansas in March 2020. The first case in Arkansas was reported on March 11, 2020, in Pine Bluff, Jefferson County.
Timeline
March
March 11–14
On March 11, Governor Asa Hutchinson confirmed the state's first presumptive positive coronavirus case in Pine Bluff.On March 12, five more presumptive cases were reported, four of which had contact with the original Pine Bluff case, prompting the governor to order school closings in Grant, Jefferson, Pulaski, and Saline counties. The original Pine Bluff case likely became infected in New Orleans during Mardi Gras.
On March 13, Governor Hutchinson announced three more presumptive cases in the state, including the first instance of community spread. He recommended not to hold gatherings of more than 200 people in the counties with affected cases.
March 15–18
On March 15, Governor Hutchinson reported during a press conference that all public schools would close beginning Tuesday, March 17, with the option of closing Monday, March 16, if they were prepared. Schools would remain closed through spring break the following week. Earlier in the day, the Arkansas Department of Health's website was updated to show that there were 16 confirmed cases in the state.On March 16, Governor Hutchinson recommended that the number of people in events should be limited to 50, per CDC guidelines. He also discouraged unnecessary out-of-state travel. A pastor and his wife in a rural church was confirmed to have COVID-19 after church services held March 6-11. Of the 92 attendees of church services, 35 were confirmed to be infected and three died. The Arkansas Department of Health worked with the church and used contact tracing to identify an additional 26 people confirmed to have the virus, one of which died.
On March 17, Hutchinson ordered all casinos closed for two weeks and said that for the next 30 days, the one-week waiting period and work reporting requirement to receive unemployment benefits would be waived.
On March 18, Governor Hutchinson said the state was working to allocate $12 million in federal Community Development Block Grant funds, aiming to target hospitals and other businesses essential to the coronavirus response. Additionally, he said he would allocate $4 million from the state's Quick Action Closing Fund which would provide loans of up to $250,000 to help businesses make payroll and stay open. The state also requested a disaster declaration from the Small Business Administration which would help provide loans of up to $2 million to provide capital for businesses. The state is also relaxing SNAP work requirements through May.
March 19–22
On March 19, the state government stated public schools would remain closed through April 17; restaurants and bars would not be allowed to provide dine-in services but could still provide carryout, curbside pickup, or delivery, beginning March 20; state government employees would begin working from home; healthcare providers would begin screening all visitors and staff for fever and symptoms; and indoor venues such as gyms would be closed to visitors.On March 20, thirteen new cases were reported that were connected to a nursing home in Little Rock where four staff and nine residents tested positive. Education Secretary Johnny Key said that the state would apply for a federal government waiver to standardized testing requirements. Attorney General Leslie Rutledge said an additional $3 million would be added to the loan program for small businesses that the governor announced on March 18. Col. John Schuette, installation commander of the Little Rock Air Force Base, announced that an active-duty U.S. Air Force airman assigned to the base tested positive. A 30-day public health emergency for the base was declared.
On March 21, the state projected the spread of the virus would peak in 6 to 8 weeks, at which time there would be an estimated 1,000 Arkansans hospitalized with the disease.
On March 22, Arkansas reported that the state received 25 percent of the PPE requested from the federal government's national stockpile. 8,000 to 10,000 Arkansans had filed for unemployment in the previous week. Due to such a high number of claims, Hutchinson said he would ask the Arkansas General Assembly to approve $1.1 million from the rainy day fund for upgrades to the unemployment system. Secretary of Commerce Mike Preston said the Arkansas Economic Development Commission had received around 300 calls and emails inquiring about the business loans the governor had outlined earlier in the week.
March 23–26
The individual income tax filing deadline was moved to July 15 and Hutchinson planned to call for a special legislative session to deal with expected budget shortfalls due to the pandemic. Corporate taxes would still be due April 15. Hutchinson expected an estimated $353 million shortfall for the state budget. Barber shops, beauty and nail salons, massage parlors, and tattoo shops were ordered closed beginning Tuesday, March 24. In Cleburne County, a deacon for a local church said that 34 people who attended an event at the church had tested positive and others were awaiting results.The first death in the state was reported on March 24, a 91-year-old male from Faulkner County. In his daily press conference, Governor Hutchinson reported that a second death had also occurred, a 59-year-old male from Sherwood. Hutchinson reaffirmed that he did not want to issue a shelter-in-place order like other states had despite saying the state was still in the beginning stages of its outbreak. Both Hutchinson and Dr. Nate Smith remarked that April 12 would be too early for the state to return to normal operations, which is the date President Trump had targeted during an interview earlier in the day.
On March 25, the ADH issued a recommendation that all travelers from New York and all international travelers should self-quarantine for 14 days. On March 26, the state reported its third death from the virus, a 73-year-old male from Cleburne County. Governor Hutchinson announced a $116 million plan to provide support for healthcare workers in the state, with $91 million coming from the federal government. This plan would provide nurses an additional $1,000 a month with that number rising to $2,000 a month for nurses treating a COVID-19 patient.
March 27–31
On March 28, the state confirmed two more deaths, bringing the total to five. Both cases were in central Arkansas, with one person being in their 70s and the other in their 40s. The number of unemployment claims for the previous week were a record 30,000, an increase from the 9,400 the previous week.On March 30, the state reported its seventh death, an 83-year-old woman infected in a nursing home in Little Rock. The state legislative leaders approved Governor Hutchinson's request to use $45 million from the newly created COVID-19 rainy-day fund. These funds would primarily be used for the purchase of PPE.
April
April 1–6
Secretary Stacy Hurst, in an effort to limit out-of-state tourists, announced that state parks would no longer allow overnight stays and would limit the number of available parking spaces. Certain trails at Petit Jean State Park and Pinnacle Mountain State Park were deemed problematic and closed. Hutchinson made a recommendation to the United States Secretary of the Interior, David Bernhardt, that the Buffalo National River be closed. State Rep. Reginald Murdock of Marianna announced that he had tested positive for COVID-19.On April 2, Governor Hutchinson defended his decision to not order a shelter-in-place, arguing that the steps the state had taken were enough and that an official order to close non-essential businesses would put at least 100,000 more Arkansans out of work. Wendy Kelly, director of the Arkansas Department of Correction, announced that the state's prisoners would be manufacturing cloth masks for the prison system, with an expectation of 80,000 masks being produced. A second member of the state legislature, Rep. Vivian Flowers of Pine Bluff, tested positive.
On April 4, Governor Hutchinson signed an executive order limiting the types of guests that can stay at hotels, motels, and vacation rentals to: healthcare professionals; first responders; law enforcement; state or federal employees on official business; National Guard members on active duty; airline crew members; patients of hospitals and their families; journalists; persons unable to return to their home due to COVID-19 travel restrictions; Arkansas citizens unable to return to their home due to exigent circumstances, such as fire, flood, tornado, or other disaster; persons in need of shelter due to domestic violence or homelessness; employees of hotels, motels, or other service providers/contractors of a hotel or motel; and persons away from their home due to work or work-related travel. He added that the state had seen a 40 percent reduction in travel since the beginning of the emergency. The Arkansas National Guard work at delivery of Personal Protection Equipment to designated healthcare facilities.
On April 6, Governor Hutchinson announced that schools would remain closed for the remainder of the school year. He also announced that the state would send five ventilators to Louisiana to help with their spread of the disease, saying Arkansas has around 800 ventilators with about 550 not being used.
April 28–30
On April 28, Secretary Hurst announced that beginning May 1, Arkansas residents with self-contained campers would be allowed to return to state parks, and that overnight cabins and lodges would reopen for weekend stays for in-state residents beginning May 15, along with restaurants and food service within parks, museums, exhibits, and visitors centers.On April 29, Governor Hutchinson said that restaurants may choose to reopen on May 11 at one-third of their capacity along with other restrictions. Bars, bars within restaurants, and entertainment at restaurants would not be allowed to reopen. He announced a $15 million grant program to help business pay for expenses related to reopening with the funds coming from money the state received from the federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act. On April 30, he further announced that gyms and athletic clubs could reopen on May 4 with sanitation and social distancing measures. Showers, pools, spas, and saunas would continue to be banned from use.
May
On May 23, Governor Hutchinson cautioned Arkansas residents to maintain social distancing on Memorial Day weekend when a cluster of coronavirus cases occurred after a high school swim party that month.Government response
State government
On March 11, Governor Hutchinson declared a public health emergency in response to the first presumptive case in the state. On March 12, the governor ordered school closings in Saline, Jefferson, Pulaski, and Grant counties until March 30. On March 14, Hutchinson activated the Arkansas National Guard to provide support with logistics, transportation, and other needs. All public schools were ordered to close beginning Tuesday, March 17. On March 17, Hutchinson closed casinos for two weeks and loosened restrictions on claiming unemployment benefits for 30 days. On March 19, Hutchinson announced new measures to help limit the spread of the disease, including keeping public schools closed through April 17 and banning restaurants and bars from providing dine-in services. On March 23, the individual income tax filing deadline was pushed back until July 15, and barber shops, beauty and nail salons, massage parlors, and tattoo parlors were ordered to close on Tuesday, March 24. On April 3, state parks began to limit their available parking spaces and ended overnight stays.On April 6, the governor ordered public schools to close for the remainder of the school year.
Hutchinson announced on July 9, 2020 that the start date for public schools would be changed from August 13 to August 24, giving school districts more time to plan for opening during the coronavirus pandemic. According to Johnny Key, the Arkansas Secretary of Education, many districts would have been ready on August 13, but some districts had requested more time. Although Hutchinson expects to see positive cases in the public schools during the Fall semester, he was quoted as saying "we will just have to deal with it."
Local governments
Little Rock
On March 16, Little Rock mayor Frank Scott, Jr. announced a citywide curfew to keep residents from being outside from 12 a.m. to 5 a.m. beginning Wednesday, March 18. This did not apply to people traveling to and from work. Little Rock police officers would question people in public places, but not stop drivers. Additionally, homeless individuals would not be cited. On March 25, Scott extended the curfew to begin at 9 p.m. and end at 5 a.m. He also announced the introduction of a daytime curfew for minors from 9:00 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. that would be in effect from March 30 to April 17. Scott issued an executive order on June 25, 2020 that required the use of masks in public spaces where a social distance of 6 ft. could not be maintained.Fayetteville
On March 16, the Fayetteville city council voted unanimously to grant the mayor emergency powers to regulate gatherings. The council also appropriated $3 million in emergency funds to address the pandemic locally. The Fayetteville City Council passed an ordinance on June 16, 2020 that required masks to be worn in most indoor public locations. The next day, Hutchinson, during his daily press briefing, indicated that he opposed the Fayetteville mask ordinance, stating that he preferred that cities not take this action resulting in different cities having different ordinances. He stated that he would rather have city leaders encourage wearing of masks using education and leading by example.Impact
Education
K-12 schools
The governor initially ordered public schools to close by March 17, 2020 and mandated they would remain closed through the end of Spring Break the following week. Since the public health situation did not improve significantly over the next few weeks, on April 6 the governor ordered all public schools to remain closed for the remainder of the year with education taking place using online methods.The governor and Ivy Pfeffer, the deputy education commissioner, introduced a plan on June 11 for onsite class education in the Fall. A document titled "Arkansas Ready for Learning" was released by the Arkansas Department of Education with guidance for schools as they planned for the school year. The document included suggestions for providing blended and online learning opportunities for students. After a delayed start date for the Fall semester for Arkansas public schools was announced by Hutchinson, several groups objected to this plan. The Arkansas Public Policy Panel and Arkansas Citizens First Congress suggested that in-person instruction should be delayed until all school districts can meet guidelines suggested by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the American Academy of Pediatrics. The Arkansas chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics released a statement that indicated it could not support a return to statewide in-person instruction in Arkansas public schools during the month of August. The Little Rock Education Association requested that the school year start with at least two weeks of online education. These changes to the statewide plan were rejected by Hutchinson during his July 21, 2020 news conference. As a response, Hutchinson highlighted a video interview of several pediatricians that advocated for a return to in-person classroom instruction.
Colleges and universities
in Jonesboro announced on March 15 that beginning Tuesday, March 17, all in-person instructions would transition to all-online instructions for the remainder of the semester. The campus would remain open. Graduation ceremonies would be reevaluated as they got closer.Southeast Arkansas College in Pine Bluff closed on March 11 after three students had been exposed to the original Pine Bluff patient.
Southern Arkansas University in Magnolia announced on March 12 that it was canceling all face-to-face classes scheduled for the week of March 16 through March 20, prior to the week of spring break. Course delivery would shift fully online beginning March 30 and continuing through the end of the semester. The campus was not closed and housing, dining, and other services would remain in operation.
The University of Arkansas at Fayetteville announced on March 12 that it was suspending all in-person classes immediately and would begin online courses starting Monday, March 16, and continue through the end of the semester. The campus was not closed and housing, dining, and other services would remain in operation. After a student tested positive for COVID-19 on March 24, the university announced it would be closing campus and gave student until April 3 to leave.
The University of Arkansas at Little Rock announced on the afternoon of March 12 that in-person instruction would transition immediately to online instruction. The campus would remain open. Graduation ceremonies would be reevaluated as they got closer.
The University of Arkansas at Monticello announced on March 17 that all instructions would move to an online setting through the end of the semester. The university remained open, including residence halls and food services. On March 19, UAM, based on a recommendation from the University of Arkansas Board of Trustees, announced that spring commencement exercises would be postponed and graduates would be invited to participate in the December 11 commencement ceremony.
Sports
The Arkansas Activities Association announced on March 12 via Twitter that all spring sports and activities would be suspended from March 15 through March 30, with plans to reassess at that time.In college sports, the National Collegiate Athletic Association cancelled all winter and spring tournaments, most notably the Division I men's and women's basketball tournaments, affecting colleges and universities statewide. On March 16, the National Junior College Athletic Association also canceled the remainder of the winter seasons as well as the spring seasons.