Governor mandates masks across state
County reports three new COVID cases
Gov. Asa Hutchinson announced Thursday that he would sign an executive order mandating the use of face masks for Arkansans in indoor and outdoor settings where social distancing of at least six feet between oneself and non-household members isn’t feasible or possible.
During a press conference held Thursday, Hutchinson said he felt it was necessary to issue the mandate given the increase in COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations and deaths the state has seen recently. On Wednesday, Arkansas surpassed 30,000 cumulative COVID-19 cases, representing about 1% of the state’s population.
“This whole fight against COVID-19 is likely to get harder and not easier, and we have to meet the challenge together. Everyone must do their part,” he said. “This is a way to enlist the support of everyone in this fight.”
Hutchinson had previously resisted issuing a statewide mask mandate, though he did recently allow cities to adopt local ordinances that would mandate masks in their municipalities. Earlier this week, he complimented cities that had adopted their own mask ordinances and on Wednesday he praised the announcement by Wal-Mart, which was founded and is based in Arkansas, that the company would require customers to wear face masks in all Wal-Mart and Sam’s Club stores.
The mandate will go into effect on Monday, July 20.
Exemptions are made for those under 10 years old, those with medical conditions or disabilities preventing them from wearing face coverings and those whose job duties prevent them from wearing face masks.
Other exemptions include situations where visibility of one’s face is needed for security reasons; participation in athletic events where social distancing of six feet isn’t possible; while one is consuming food or drink; while one is alone or only with household members in their vehicles; when one is giving a speech or performing before an audience, so long as social distancing is possible; and in counties where the Arkansas Department of Health has certified that the risk of spreading COVID-19 is low.
The mandate will also include an exemption for those participating in religious worship, though Hutchinson noted that the use of face masks is still strongly recommended in those settings. There is also an exemption made for when one is voting, and potentially for poll workers, which Hutchinson said Thursday he needed to study further.
The mandate will have the force and effect of law, Hutchinson said, and those who violate it could be subject to misdemeanor charges and a fine of between $100 and $500.
The first time someone is caught violating the order, they will be subject to a verbal or written warning; the same goes for minors caught in violation of the order. The order does not allow for the detainment, arrest of jailing of anyone caught in violation of the order, though law enforcement will still be able to enforce trespassing laws or other laws applicable to remove violators at the request of businesses or property owners, Hutchinson said.
The order will automatically expire upon the termination of a State of Emergency that is declared in Arkansas regarding the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Hutchinson said he would sign the executive order before Monday, and it will be available to read in full on his website, governor.arkansas.gov.
It will also become a directive from the ADH Secretary when it goes into effect, he said.
The ADH reported three new COVID-19 cases in Union County on Thursday, bringing the cumulative number of confirmed cases in the county to 287.
Of those, 239 were considered recovered, up one from Wednesday, leaving 34 cases active in Union County, two more than there were Wednesday. Active cases represented 11.84% of the county’s cumulative total of cases Thursday.
No changes were reported in any of the congregate living facilities in Union County where COVID-19 cases have been identified, which include Courtyard Healthcare and Rehabilitation, where seven residents have died as a result of the virus and three resident cases remain active; Advanced Health and Rehab of Union County, where two worker cases remain active; Timberlane Health and Rehab, where six worker cases remain active; and Community Living Arrangements, where one worker case remains active. No new local deaths attributable to COVID-19 were reported Thursday. Fourteen Union County residents have died as a result of the virus.
The ADH reported 3,692 total test results reported for Union County Thursday, with 3,405 negatives. There have been 67 new test results reported for the county since Tuesday. The overall local positivity rate was 7.77%.
Arkansas saw an increase of 817 COVID-19 cases Thursday, bringing the cumulative number of cases in the state to 31,114. Of those, 24,195 were considered recovered Thursday, leaving 6,578 cases — 21.14% — active statewide.
Six Arkansans died as a result of the virus between Wednesday and Thursday, bringing the state’s death toll to 341, indicating a state COVID mortality rate of 1.09%. There were 470 Arkansans hospitalized due to the virus Thursday, with 101 on ventilator support.
Dr. Jose Romero, chief medical officer for the ADH, said the state had received 6,020 test results by Thursday. About a third of those, 1,795, came from the ADH public health lab, he said. There have so far been 87,517 test results reported in July. Hutchinson has set a goal of testing 200,000 Arkansans this month.
Since the state began testing residents for COVID-19, it has received 406,849 total results, with 375,735 negatives, indicating an overall positivity rate for the state of 7.64%.
Johns Hopkins University reported 3,560,364 COVID19 cases in the United States Thursday at 7 p.m. Of those, 1,090,645 were considered recovered, leaving 2,331,518 cases — 65.48% — active nationwide. There had been 138,201 deaths attributable to the virus in the U.S. by Thursday evening, indicating a national COVID mortality rate of 3.88%.
Johns Hopkins reported 13,740,727 COVID-19 cases worldwide Thursday evening. Of those, 7,670,345 were considered recovered, leaving 5,482,088 cases — 39.5% — active around the world. There had been 588,294 deaths resulting from the virus by Thursday afternoon, indicating a global COVID mortality rate of 4.28%.