Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson was joined by members of his cabinet to update citizens on the coronavirus/COVID-19 pandemic on Monday. Click below to listen to the entire address:
Arkansas’ confirmed virus cases top 20,000, with 1 new death
The Department of Health said at least 20,257 people have tested positive for the virus, an increase of 439 from Sunday. The department said 5,926 of those cases are considered active, meaning they don’t include people who have died or who have recovered.
The true number of cases in Arkansas is likely higher because many people have not been tested, and studies suggest people can be infected and not feel sick.
The number of people who have died from COVID-19, the illness caused by the virus, increased by one Monday to 265. The number of people hospitalized increased to 300.
Arkanas’ virus cases have been steadily increasing since last month, when the state began allowing businesses that had closed because of the pandemic to reopen. The number of active cases in the state have increased more than 256% since Memorial Day, while the number of people hospitalized has tripled in that same time period.