Big jump in number of local COVID-19 cases

Nearly 150 active cases i Crittenden County after weekend spike in numbers

ralphhardin@gmail.com The coronavirus pandemic has claimed another life in Crittenden County.

Over the weekend, an 11th COVID-19 death was reported in the county as the local number of active cases is the highest it has been since the pandemic began.

“Active cases continue to increase,” Crittenden County Judge Woody Wheeless said in his report to the community, “not only in the state but here in our county as well.”

According to the latestf figures (which Wheeless often notes are state numbers and are usually slightly behind up-to-date local numbers), there are 146 total active cases in Crittenden County out of 696 total positive local cases reported.

“The 146 active cases is the most recorded for a daily total,” said Wheeless.

“With cases back on the rise across the states, please continue to practice social distancing and wearing a mask when social distancing isn’t practical.”

Numbers continue to rise across Arkansas. As of Monday, there were more than 20,000 total positive cases in the state, including nearly 6,000 cases currently active.

Across the state there have been 260 coronacirus-related deaths.

The continued rise in nubers and the ongoing rolback of COVID-19 restrictions in the state has prompted other states to issue travel bans on Arkansas residents, something Arkansasa actually implemented against other states earlier this year.

Governor Asa Hutchinson said in response to the travel restrictions against his constituents, “So we’re just going to have to do better to get our cases down in Arkansas, but ultimately we can’t be putting restrictions on each other across the country because we do have to do two things…

both manage the virus and manage the growth of our economy.”

States restricting travelers from Arkansas include New York, Connecticut, New Jersey and Oklahoma.

County Judge Woody Wheeless