Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson on Tuesday said he won't extend the 11 p.m. curfew for bars and some restaurants that was imposed because of the coronavirus.
Hutchinson cited a recent drop in hospitalizations and new cases as the reason for not extending the earlier closing time for bars and restaurants that serve alcohol. The curfew was imposed in November because of a surge in cases and was set to expire on Wednesday.
Arkansas reported 1,510 new coronavirus cases, bringing the state's total since the pandemic began to 298,004. The state's covid-19 deaths rose by 44 to 4,939 and virus hospitalizations dropped by 20 to 869.
The Department of Health said that 318,408 of the 535,900 doses of the coronavirus vaccine that the state has received have been given.
– The Associated Press
EARLIER:
Gov. Asa Hutchinson and state health officials will provide an update on Arkansas' covid-19 response at 1:30 p.m.
The total number of coronavirus cases reported in Arkansas remained at 296,494 Tuesday morning, according to a state website. The death toll remained at 4,895.
Check back to watch the live video.
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