Record number of covid-19 cases reported in Bella Vista

City offices remain closed until February.

BELLA VISTA — The city saw 140 new confirmed covid-19 cases for the week ending Dec. 28, beating the previous week’s 135-case record.

According to the Arkansas Center for Health Improvement, a health policy center based in Little Rock that has been reporting covid-19 numbers by city since August 2020, this brings the city’s total to 956 cases, or roughly 3% of the city’s population.

In the same week, nearby Bentonville’s total hit 2,660 cases, roughly 5% of the population, with a 276-case increase.

Rogers saw an even steeper increase, with 678 new cases bringing its total to 6,690, or 8% of the population.

For Benton County as a whole, the Arkansas Department of Health reported 14,680 total cases with 207 deaths and 12,983 recoveries as of Jan. 3.

Nearby Washington County reportedly had 17,743 total cases with 187 deaths and 16,119 recoveries at the same point in time.

Over the state line, the McDonald County Health Department reports 2,035 cases in the county as of Jan. 3, with three of those cases new that day.

The department also reported 27 deaths, with four patients currently hospitalized and 1,882 released.

Nationwide, the CDC reports 20,558,489 total cases with 350,664 deaths as of 12:16 p.m. Jan. 4.

The first shipment of covid-19 vaccines arrived in Arkansas on Dec. 14 and weekly shipments are expected.

City offices remain closed until February.

A mask mandate issued by Gov. Asa Hutchinson on July 20 remains in effect, though Hutchinson has ceased providing daily updates, citing improvements in informational channels available to the public.

The mandate, issued via executive order, requires individuals to wear masks in indoor and outdoor settings where individuals are likely to come within 6 feet of non-household members or potentially face a fine of $100 to $500.