- Associated Press - Friday, November 13, 2020

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) - Arkansas on Friday reported another record spike in coronavirus cases and a new high for hospitalizations as Gov. Asa Hutchinson said he didn’t expect a panel he formed to address the surge would call for a widespread closure of businesses.

Hutchinson said the state’s probable and confirmed cases grew by 2,312, surpassing a record one-day spike it reached two days earlier. The state has had 130,318 total cases since the pandemic began. The state’s COVID-19 hospitalizations grew by 21 to 826, surpassing a high it reached on Tuesday.

The state’s death toll also rose by four to 2,148. The actual number of cases in Arkansas is likely higher because many people have not been tested and people can carry the virus but not feel sick.

Hutchinson signed an order Friday to create a COVID-19 Winter Task Force that will look at ways to better coordinate the COVID-19 caseload statewide and ways the state can assist hospitals in increasing their staff resources to manage the surge. The panel, primarily comprised of hospital leaders from around the state, will be chaired by the governor and will begin meeting Monday, he said.

The panel will also assess ways to increase compliance with the state’s mask mandate and other steps Arkansas can take, though the Republican governor again expressed resistance to further restrictions on businesses.

“We don’t want to shut down and I don’t expect that to be the result of this task force,” Hutchinson said. “But I do want to give them the latitude to give me options and discuss anything they think needs to be done.”

Arkansas was among a handful of states that never issued a stay-at-home order during the pandemic, but has other restrictions in place. Aside from its mask mandate, the state has imposed capacity limits on restaurants, bars and other businesses. A White House panel has recommended the state close bars, as well as limit hours at indoor restaurants.

Some law enforcement officials in the state have refused to enforce the mask mandate, and Hutchinson left open the possibility of adding law enforcement to the task force to discuss the issue.

Hutchinson Thursday warned the state faced “difficult” decisions if it runs out of hospital space. Hutchinson didn’t elaborate on what those decisions could include Friday, saying that would be part of the task force’s discussion.

About 26% of the state’s 9,144 hospital beds and 8% of its 1,096 intensive care unit beds were available Friday, according to the Department of Health. There are 292 COVID-19 patients in ICUs around the state.

The governor also announced the state is spending $1.6 million on advertising about efforts to prevent the virus’s spread and authorized 30 members of the National Guard to assist the Health Department in case investigation.

Democrats criticized the task force plan, saying it falls short of what Arkansas needs as cases continue rising at record rates in the state.

“The governor’s shown pragmatic leadership and did what he could to keep our economy going but rising numbers and limited hospital capacity have overcome his best efforts,” State Democratic Party Chairman Michael John Gray said in a statement.

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Follow Andrew DeMillo on Twitter at www.twitter.com/ademillo

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