Governor Asa Hutchinson provides an update to media on Wednesday, August 5, 2020, live at 1:30 p.m. regarding Arkansas's COVID-19 response.
Weekly Update from State Representative DeAnn Vaught
Contact tracing is one of the most important public health strategies currently available to help us reduce the spread and transmission of COVID-19.
The idea behind contact tracing is to see who is a close contact of an individual who has tested positive for the virus, identify who has been exposed, provide them with information about testing and how to quarantine. Contact tracers help notify people who may not know they have been exposed and helps close the loop.
This week, the Arkansas Legislative Council (ALC) voted to direct $16 million of federal funds to the Arkansas Department of Health (ADH) to expand contact tracing. The extra funding requested is meant to fund an equivalent 350 contract tracers and 20 nurses.
ALC also approved the use of $7 million in federal CARES Act funds for COVID-19 relief in Northwest Arkansas. The money will be used to track a spike in cases in the Marshallese and Latinx communities. A large portion of COVID-19 deaths in Northwest Arkansas has come from these communities.
To help with contact tracing, ADH has contracted with two firms, General Dynamics Information Technology (GDIT) and Arkansas Foundation for Medical Care (AFMC). These two contractors are on track to have a combined 700 contract tracers by the end of the year.
Many contact tracers will call from the number (877) ARCOV19 or (877) 272-6819, but a contact investigator may also reach out from a different phone number.
It’s possible you won’t recognize the number, but it’s important to answer or return the call if it goes to voicemail.
The case investigator and contact tracer will never ask for your Social Security number, bank account number, or credit card. If the caller ever discusses money, that’s a sign that it is not a legitimate Department of Health investigator. If you want to verify that you have been contacted by a Health Department case investigator or contact tracer, you may call (800) 803-7847.
Educational Resource Center at UA Cossatot
Time to return summer rentals! Use the outdoor drop box or return your rentals at the ERC! Don't forget to wear a mask and practice physical distancing!
Tuesday's COVID-19 Case Numbers and Maps
COVID-19 Metrics for Sevier County
Cases
Total Positive: 939
Active Positive: 35
Recovered: 894
Deaths: 10
Negatives: 4,449
COVID-19 Metrics for Howard County
Cases
Total Positive: 300
Active Positive: 67
Recovered: 231
Deaths: 2
Negatives: 2,405
COVID-19 Metrics for Little River County
Cases
Total Positive: 156
Active Positive: 70
Recovered: 85
Deaths: 1
Negatives: 1,193
COVID-19 Metrics for Polk County
Cases
Total Positive: 131
Active Positive: 17
Recovered: 113
Deaths: 1
Negatives: 2,164
COVID-19 Metrics for Pike County
Cases
Total Positive: 81
Active Positive: 20
Recovered: 60
Deaths: 1
Negatives: 2,653
VIDEO: Governor Asa Hutchinson Provides COVID-19 Update Monday (08.03.20) 130PM
High school football teams can begin no-contact practice in Arkansas starting this week as the total number of people to test positive for the coronavirus surpasses 42,000.
Governor Asa Hutchinson provides an update to media on Monday, August 3, 2020, live at 1:30 p.m. regarding Arkansas's COVID-19 response.
Monday's Number of COVID-19 Cases
COVID-19 Metrics for Sevier County
Cases
Total Positive: 935
Active Positive: 34
Recovered: 891
Deaths: 10
Negatives: 4,409
COVID-19 Metrics for Howard County
Cases
Total Positive: 296
Active Positive: 71
Recovered: 223
Deaths: 2
Negatives: 2,374
COVID-19 Metrics for Little River County
Cases
Total Positive: 153
Active Positive: 71
Recovered: 81
Deaths: 1
Negatives: 1,186
COVID-19 Metrics for Polk County
Cases
Total Positive: 128
Active Positive: 16
Recovered: 111
Deaths: 1
Negatives: 2,137
COVID-19 Metrics for Pike County
Cases
Total Positive: 78
Active Positive: 18
Recovered: 59
Deaths: 1
Negatives: 2,629
Howard County Farmers Market Open This Monday Afternoon
Market Monday, 3 August starting at 3 pm.
For those who may not be able to come to the Friday morning market, we will be having a Monday afternoon market day Monday, 3 Aug starting at 3 pm. We have some vendors who will be bringing their items to the market.
Here is who's coming and what they plan to bring:
- Wenta Farm -
Hand-picked figs (fresh and frozen), cucumbers, tomatoes, hot and sweet peppers, squash, tomato plants, frozen blackberries
- Wildflowers -
Garden fresh onions, cucumbers, eggplant, okra, peppers, honeycomb, honey
- Mobbs Farm -
Vine-ripened tomatoes
- Grandma Sylvia's Creations -
Crocheted facemasks, earrings
- Threat Farm -
Free-range eggs
If more vendors contact us we will update our Facebook page.
We recommend you get there as soon as we open for the best selection. We also request you wear protective masks and follow social distancing of 6 feet separation from others as you shop at the market. Most importantly, please stay home if you are experiencing flu-like symptoms. We want everyone to have a safe time at the market.
WIC and SNAP Accepted by participating vendors. We thank you for your patronage!
Stay Here, Stay Safe at UA Cossatot
We're currently getting ready to welcome you to UA Cossatot! Follow along with Suzanne to see how we're making changes to help keep you safe while you're on campus.
Fit 4 Life with Dr Andi Reeves
This week on Fit-4-Life, Dr. Andi talks about the importance of boosting your immune system.
YouthBuild Program Launches August 17 at UA Cossatot
UA Cossatot recently became the second college in Arkansas to offer a YouthBuild program. YouthBuild programs provide educational training and occupational skill development to students ages 16 to 24. In the program, students can choose two skill pathways to obtain employment in construction/carpentry or industrial maintenance/welding.
The program's first semester will begin on August 17, 2020, at UA Cossatot's De Queen Campus, and the deadline to enroll in the program is August 10. No educational requirements exist to register. Students who do not have a high school degree or a GED certificate will earn their GED certificate in the program.
Depending upon class size, the Construction/Carpentry Pathway will be offered in the morning, while the Industrial Maintenance/Welding Pathway will be available in the afternoon.
Students who sign up to participate in the YouthBuild program will have the opportunity to learn hands-on experience while learning skills that can lead to future employment. The program is free to everyone enrolled, and YouthBuild students will benefit from supportive services at UA Cossatot.
Leslie Daniels and Steve McJunkins
The college's Job Placement Specialist will be working independently with students to help them learn about available careers. UA Cossatot's YouthBuild program will give students the opportunity to give back to their communities while volunteering and achieving experience they can use throughout their lifetime.
UA Cossatot's YouthBuild program consists of three staff members: Instructor, Steve McJunkins; Job Placement Specialist, Casey Morris; and Case Manager, Leslie Daniels. The college’s YouthBuild staff are located in the Frachisuer-Pullium building on UA Cossatot's De Queen Campus.
To enroll in UA Cossatot's YouthBuild program or for more information, please contact Casey Morris at 870-557-0883 or cmorris@cccua.edu. Students can also contact Leslie Daniels at 870-584-9798 or ldaniels@cccua.edu. UA Cossatot is open from 7:30 A.M. to 5:30 P.M. this summer Monday thru Thursday. Walk-ins are always welcome.
COVID-19 Update for Sunday from the AR Department of Health
COVID-19 Metrics for Sevier County
Cases
Total Positive: 933
Active Positive: 37
Recovered: 886
Deaths: 10
Negatives: 4,401
COVID-19 Metrics for Howard County
Cases
Total Positive: 294
Active Positive: 73
Recovered: 219
Deaths: 2
Negatives: 2,363
COVID-19 Metrics for Little River County
Cases
Total Positive: 152
Active Positive: 76
Recovered: 75
Deaths: 1
Negatives: 1,182
COVID-19 Metrics for Polk County
Cases
Total Positive: 128
Active Positive: 18
Recovered: 109
Deaths: 1
Negatives: 2,101
COVID-19 Metrics for Pike County
Cases
Total Positive: 77
Active Positive: 18
Recovered: 58
Deaths: 1
Negatives: 2,612
Saturday's COVID-19 Numbers from the Arkansas Department of Health
COVID-19 Metrics for Sevier County
Cases
Total Positive: 929
Active Positive: 44
Recovered: 875
Deaths: 10
Negatives: 4,384
COVID-19 Metrics for Howard County
Cases
Total Positive: 291
Active Positive: 73
Recovered: 216
Deaths: 2
Negatives: 2,352
COVID-19 Metrics for Little River County
Cases
Total Positive: 149
Active Positive: 75
Recovered: 73
Deaths: 1
Negatives: 1,173
COVID-19 Metrics for Polk County
Cases
Total Positive: 125
Active Positive: 17
Recovered: 107
Deaths: 1
Negatives: 2,077
COVID-19 Metrics for Pike County
Cases
Total Positive: 77
Active Positive: 21
Recovered: 55
Deaths: 1
Negatives: 2,594
Governor Hutchinson’s Weekly Address | The Arkansas Access Point Project
LITTLE ROCK – Under our state’s broadband initiative, the number of Arkansans with access to high-speed internet is increasing, and today I’d like to talk about the Arkansas Access Point Project, a new program that will make the world wide web available for thousands more students.
This week I announced that our Department of Education has signed agreements with three major telecommunications companies to purchase Wi-Fi access devices and unlimited data plans at a reduced cost for every school district in the state.
The Department of Education will buy as many as 20,000 of the devices with $10 million from funding provided through the federal CARES Act. The devices and internet access are free to students. School districts are equipping students with computers and tablets.
The coronavirus pandemic has forced us to adjust our methods of teaching and focused attention on the need for the option of virtual education. Arkansas Access Point Project expands our ability to teach virtually and increases the number of students who can choose that option.
This program opens new opportunities and narrows the gap between those who have access to high-speed broadband and those who do not. Students will be able to take the devices home. They won’t have to sit in a McDonald’s to do their homework. This is especially important to our rural communities and for families who otherwise might not be able to afford this vital access.
Sally Bennett, superintendent of the rural Rivercrest District in northeast Arkansas, welcomed the news that AT&T, T-Mobile, and Verizon had agreed to participate in the project. She knows firsthand that the digital divide is real and deep.
Sally and her team of educators have worked hard and creatively during the pandemic to provide internet access to students. In the spring, they equipped school buses with Wi-Fi devices to deliver the internet along with meals for students who were confined to home. They extended Wi-Fi into the schools’ parking lot, but this still doesn’t help the student in their home.
She estimates that 40 percent of the eleven-hundred students in Rivercrest District have no access to internet, so you can understand why she calls our new initiative a “game changer.”
I share the superintendent’s excitement about this agreement, but this doesn’t completely bridge the digital divide in our state. We still have a lot of work to do to expand access to broadband internet. It’s important that everyone in Arkansas has the opportunities that come with easy and reliable access to the world wide web, whether they live in rural Mississippi County or in the state capital.
Governor Hutchinson Creates Advisory Group To Advise High School Sports During Pandemic
LITTLE ROCK – Governor Asa Hutchinson has appointed 14 physicians, mental health professionals, coaches, and educators to the High School Sports Advisory Group, which he created to consider the safest way to conduct sports and activities for the 2020-2021 school year.
“The Department of Health will continue its responsibility to provide health guidelines, and this group of experts will serve in an advisory capacity to look specifically at how we can have fall sports in the safest manner possible,” Governor Hutchinson said. “We want to consider every angle to protect our athletes, cheerleaders, and band members.
“My message for the football players on Monday is to grab your helmet for practice and then after practice, grab a mask. Because our responsibility for safety extends beyond the practice field.”
Arkansas Surgeon General Dr. Greg Bledsoe will chair the group. Kelvin Gragg, superintendent of the Dumas School District, is vice chair.
The other members of the High School Sports Advisory Group are:
Dr. Lowry Barnes, orthopedic surgeon and chairman of UAMS Department of Orthopedics.
Jacob Brown, Therapeutic Family Services.
Paul Calley, dean of students, assistant football coach, Southwest High School.
Jason Cates, athletic trainer at Cabot School District; chairman of the Arkansas Sports Medicine Committee.
Laura Crow, volleyball coach at Conway High School.
Dr. Jennifer Dillaha, state epidemiologist, Arkansas Department of Health.
Fitz Hill, State Board of Education.
Dr. Michael Israel, associate professor of Adolescent Medicine and Director of Sports Medicine at Arkansas Children’s.
Dr. Lee Johnson, state representative.
Janet McDonald, behavioral health professional at Pinnacle Point.
Lance Taylor, director of the Arkansas Activities Association (AAA).
Dr. Joel Tumlison, physician specialist, Arkansas Department of Health.
Tri-County Regional Library Board of Trustees Meeting August 11
The Quarterly meeting of the Tri-County Regional Library Board of Trustees is scheduled for Tuesday, August 11th at 5 p.m. at the De Queen, Arkansas, Branch of the Sevier County Library. Items on the agenda are the 2020-2021 Budget and other financial matters.
Marilyn B. Archer, MLS
Director
Tri-County Regional Library System
Serving 11 Public Libraries in Howard, Little River and Sevier counties in SW Arkansas
Friday's COVID-19 Updated Numbers and Maps
COVID-19 Metrics for Sevier County
Cases
Total Positive: 927
Active Positive: 50
Recovered: 867
Deaths: 10
Negatives: 4,337
COVID-19 Metrics for Howard County
Cases
Total Positive: 287
Active Positive: 80
Recovered: 205
Deaths: 2
Negatives: 2,325
COVID-19 Metrics for Little River County
Cases
Total Positive: 145
Active Positive: 71
Recovered: 73
Deaths: 1
Negatives: 1,162
COVID-19 Metrics for Polk County
Cases
Total Positive: 125
Active Positive: 18
Recovered: 107
Deaths: 0
Negatives: 2,047
COVID-19 Metrics for Pike County
Cases
Total Positive: 69
Active Positive: 21
Recovered: 47
Deaths: 1
Negatives: 2,563
2020 Arkansas Sales Tax Holiday
Beginning at 12:01 a.m. on Saturday August 1, 2020, and ending at 11:59 p.m. on Sunday August 2, 2020, the State of Arkansas will hold its sales tax holiday allowing shoppers the opportunity to purchase certain School Supplies, School Art Supplies, School Instructional Materials, and clothing free of state and local sales or use tax.
All retailers are required to participate and may not charge tax on items that are legally tax-exempt during the Sales Tax Holiday.
Thursday's COVID-19 Numbers and Maps
COVID-19 Metrics for Sevier County
Cases
Total Positive: 918
Active Positive: 55
Recovered: 853
Deaths: 10
Negatives: 4,307
COVID-19 Metrics for Howard County
Cases
Total Positive: 282
Active Positive: 87
Recovered: 193
Deaths: 2
Negatives: 2,293
COVID-19 Metrics for Little River County
Cases
Total Positive: 138
Active Positive: 69
Recovered: 68
Deaths: 1
Negatives: 1,148
COVID-19 Metrics for Polk County
Cases
Total Positive: 124
Active Positive: 18
Recovered: 106
Deaths: 0
Negatives: 2,017
COVID-19 Metrics for Pike County
Cases
Total Positive: 65
Active Positive: 17
Recovered: 47
Deaths: 1
Negatives: 2,517
VIDEO: Governor Hutchinson Provides COVID-19 Update Thursday (07.30.20) 130PM
Governor Asa Hutchinson provides an update to media on Thursday, July 30, 2020, live at 1:30 p.m. regarding Arkansas's COVID-19 response.
VIDEO: Governor Hutchinson Provides COVID-19 Update From Russellville Wednesday (07.29.20) 130PM
Governor Asa Hutchinson will provide an update to media in Russellville Wednesday, July 29, 2020, live at 1:30 p.m. regarding Arkansas's COVID-19 response.