Governor makes absentee ballot announcement on record-setting day

July 2, 2020 3:48 pm Local News
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Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson was joined by members of his cabinet to update citizens on the coronavirus/COVID-19 pandemic on Thursday. Click below to listen to the entire address:

Arkansas reports biggest one-day spike in coronavirus cases

LITTLE ROCK (AP) — Arkansas reported its biggest single-day increase in coronavirus cases on Thursday, as the state’s governor said concerns about the virus will be a valid excuse to vote absentee in the November election.

Health officials said at least 22,075 people in the state have tested positive for the virus, an increase of 878 new confirmed cases since Wednesday. The department said 6,098 of those cases are active, meaning they don’t include people who have died or recovered.

Thursday marked the biggest single-day increase since the state reported 731 new cases on June 12, and it more than doubled the number of new cases reported Wednesday.

The number of people who died from COVID-19, the illness caused by coronavirus, increased by two to 279. The number of people hospitalized decreased by 272.

Gov. Asa Hutchinson, a Republican, was joined by the state’s GOP and Democratic Party chairman as he announced that concerns about the virus were a valid excuse for requesting absentee ballots.