Economic recovery to be focus of today’s coronavirus update

Gov. Asa Hutchinson said Friday that today’s press conference update on the state’s COVID-19 situation will have a focus on economic recovery for the state, noting that unemployment is rising quickly.

“When you look at the current health crisis, it is also an economic crisis that we have,” he said. “We want to specifically talk about those that are seeking unemployment, we want to talk about the small businesses that are struggling, and some of the state’s plans in that regard.”

Over 17,000 people have filed unemployment claims in the last two weeks, Hutchinson said in a press conference earlier this week. The high volume has overwhelmed the state’s online filing system and wait times for the hotline filing system were up to 25 minutes on Thursday.

Attorney General Leslie Rutledge participated in yesterday’s press conference, providing an update on anti-price gouging enforcement her office is currently involved in, as well as announcing that her office has allocated $1 million for personal protective equipment (PPE) for hospitals and health care providers. The money will come from her Consumer Education and Enforcement fund.

“All of us understand that if our health care providers are at risk, then we will all be at risk, and it is imperative that we help them and to make sure that they are not exponentially impacting Arkansans,” she said.

On price gouging, she said her office is working closely with online retailers like Amazon and eBay to shut down third-party vendors that are engaging in the practice. The punishment for price gouging could include criminal charges and/or a fine of up to $10,000 per item.

Rutledge said her office has received almost 500 complaints of price gouging recently and has about 25 open investigations, citing hospitals being gouged as they attempt to secure PPE and gas stations hiking prices on items like toilet paper and hand sanitizer.

The governor announced that the state did purchase 500 ventilators, which would almost double the current stock; however, he told the press

gathered at yesterday’s conference that the state could be undercut in securing those.

“You have to understand that the Department of Defense could come in there and say ‘we want those ventilators,’ or you could have a higher priority going to another state,” he said. “So we placed the order; we fight for those and we have to be ready to pay for them so we can have the capacity in Arkansas that we need. But if I come back in two weeks and express some disappointment, please understand that we’re fighting.”

Hutchinson emphasized the role every individual plays in helping to stop the spread of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19).

“I have to enlist the support of every person,” he said. “Every person in Arkansas needs to have the same level of concern and when you don’t have to be out — when you’re not doing your essential services, when you don’t have to go to the grocery store — let’s make sure that we keep our social distancing and follow the guidelines.”

On Thursday, Hutchinson announced a $116 million plan to assist health care providers and patients in funding through the coronavirus pandemic. He said Friday that his administration has paid particular attention to the homeless population, with funds in the plan set aside for testing and potentially quarantining those that are positive.

“We recognize that’s a unique population,” he said. “Our Department of Health and [Dept. of] Emergency Management have developed the capacity to house those as needed.”

Health Secretary Dr. Nate Smith noted that the Arkansas Dept. of Health has already built relationships with homeless individuals and organizations dedicated to helping that population to control Hepatitis A, and said that his department will utilize those relationships in attempting to control COVID-19.

Hutchinson said he is still awaiting approval of the $116 million health care funding plan from the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid. He said he does expect to sign legislation creating a COVID-19 Rainy Day Fund to help cover some budget cuts necessitated by a depression in tax collections and the postponement of Tax Day. The legislature met Thursday and Friday in a special emergency session to draft the legislation after the governor estimated a potential loss of a little over $350 million in state revenue.