FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – As our state deals with the spread of covid-19 in the midst of a global outbreak, the Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette will publish five things you need to know each week. We’ll be publishing these round-ups in English, Spanish and Marshallese. You can read our full coverage at nwaonline.com/coronavirus/. Coronavirus coverage pertaining to crucial public health information will be available for all readers.
• Arkansas has confirmed 13,928 total cases since the covid-19 pandemic began, according to data posted the morning of June 19. State health officials also have reported 208 total deaths and 9,376 people recovered.
• Gov. Asa Hutchinson signed three executive orders on June 15 giving businesses and health care workers greater immunity from coronavirus-related lawsuits, while extending workers’ compensation benefits to those who fall ill from the virus on the job.
• Arkansas nursing homes, assisted living facilities and other long-term care facilities that meet state Department of Health criteria will reopen to visitors starting July 1, Hutchinson said on June 17.
• The Fayetteville City Council passed an ordinance on June 16 requiring that masks be worn in most indoor public places. On June 17, Little Rock Mayor Frank Scott Jr. said he’d asked the city attorney to write an executive order requiring masks in public places.
• A large percentage of new cases and hospitalizations are concentrated in Northwest Arkansas, and the governor announced June 18 that he was extending Arkansas’ state of public health emergency by 45 days.
