An employee at Arkansas State University has tested positive for COVID-19, a campus security notice said Friday morning. Statewide numbers rose over 700 Friday, according to the Arkansas Department of Health.
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Arkansas total: 738 confirmed cases, 12 deaths, 75 recovered (source)
The latest update from the ADH shows 16 positive cases and 141 negative in Craighead County (6:30 PM). To see your county, click here.
As of 6:30 PM, there had been 9,791 total tested for COVID-19 in Arkansas, with 738 positive tests and 9,053 negative.
United States total: 258,214 cases, 9,408 recoveries, 6,605 deaths (source)
Global total: 1,066,706 cases, 223,697 recoveries, 56,767 deaths (source)
A-State employee tests positive for COVID-19; Student currently being tested
The test result came back on Thursday, April 2. The employee was tested on March 19 after beginning to show symptoms of the coronavirus. In addition to that, a student who lives on campus informed the university that they had been tested on Thursday for COVID-19. The student’s test has not come back yet and they are self-isolated.
Arkansas State Chancellor Kelly Damphousse sent the following in an email Friday morning:
“On Thursday afternoon (April 2), a student who lives on campus informed University Housing that they had been tested Thursday for COVID-19. The student has not received a result, but is currently self-isolated. The student has not interacted with anyone on campus since returning from Spring Break. Not long after that, one of our A-State employees reported that they learned Thursday that they tested positive for COVID-19. The employee has been self-quarantined at home since being tested on March 19 while awaiting the results, and has been asymptomatic for several days. It is worth noting that employee’s last day on campus was 14 days ago.” Chancellor Damphousse, A-State. Source.
Arkansas State will begin screening on-campus employees via a questionnaire each day that they are on campus for work. The Emergency Operations Center (EOC) was activated. Anyone on campus with a COVID-19 or other emergency concern is instructed to contact eoc@AState.edu.
The A-State chancellor also urged those who are housing residents that today is the deadline to check out from campus.
“Finally, for housing residents who do not need to live on campus for the remainder of the semester,please remember that today, Friday, April 3, is the deadline for you to check out from campus. I know that many who had asked to stay have now changed their mind, and that is okay. I also understand that the news of our first positive case on campus may result in you or your family deciding to move off of campus. You may still move out. Please refer to this email to learn how to check out of University Housing. The email makes clear that I understand that April 3 might not work for everyone. Please contact University Housing by email or by phone at 870-972-2042 to determine a good alternate date. Given the seriousness of the COVID-19 situation, we want to manage as carefully as possible the move-out procedure.”
Read more from A-State Chancellor Kelly Damphousse here.
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Governor’s press update at 1:30 PM
https://www.youtube.com/c/GovernorAsaHutchinson/live
This story will be updated on Friday, April 3, 2020 with more information all day long. Check back/refresh for the latest.
If the governor wants to leave businesses open that’s one thing,but when the employees feel unsafe why don’t we have the right to self quarantine without the fear well loose our jobs ? I have to go to work or I’ll point out.But I don’t know what I’m bring home to my family.I know a person where I work was exposed to someone that was running a fever and was getting tested,she hasn’t got her results back yet,our line lead was told and that was it the fever thermometers don’t work anyway no one else besides me were told,what if the lady I work with got infected ? Then everyone that works with her will be exposed I have a definite problem with this.