One COVID-19 patient died today bringing the total of deaths to 8.

Previously released modeling showed Arkansas with 3,500 cases by mid-April. The Governor said current numbers are below what was projected for this time. He urges everyone to continue social distancing to continue to lower the curve.

Out of state visitors to our state and national parks is becoming a concern.  The Governor has asked the administration to begin exploring ways to curtail out of state recreational visitors. He cautioned this may involving closing some state parks in the future.

More than 30,000 Arkansans have filed for unemployment in recent weeks. To address wait times, the Department of Commerce has trained more than 20 new staffers to answer phones for the unemployment hotline. The department has also invested in new IT systems.