PHOTO: In this Nov. 10, 2020 file photo, Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson speaks remotely to legislators in Little Rock, Ark. At least 187 state legislators nationwide have tested positive for the virus and four have died since the pandemic began, according to figures compiled by The Associated Press. Twelve Arkansas lawmakers have tested positive for the virus over the past month, the second largest known outbreak in a state legislature. (AP Photo/Andrew DeMillo File)
LITTLE ROCK (AP) – Another Arkansas state senator on Thursday said he tested positive for the coronavirus last week, the 14th lawmaker in the state to be infected over the past two months.
Republican Sen. Ron Caldwell said he tested positive for the virus on Friday and has been isolating at home. Caldwell said his wife, who also tested positive, has been hospitalized since Friday. The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette first reported on Caldwell testing positive.
Arkansas has had the second largest known outbreak in a state legislature, according to figures compiled by The Associated Press. More than 200 state legislators nationwide have tested positive for the virus. The only legislators in Arkansas known to have tested positive before the latest outbreak were three who caught it in the spring and a fourth who caught it in July.
GOP lawmakers in states where coronavirus cases and hospitalizations have surged have rejected statewide mask mandates and rules requiring them in their own capitols. A proposal last month to require Arkansas state senators to wear masks or risk losing their per diem faced resistance in the Republican-run Senate.
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