ROGERS, Ark. — Northwest Arkansas is now the center of COVID-19 outbreaks in the state as 38% of new cases are reported in this area.
Governor Asa Hutchinson met with the Mayors of Rogers and Springdale and the Benton County Judge to talk about stopping the spread Monday (June 1).
The governor also met with leaders in the Marshallese and Latino communities to figure out who they listen to and who are their trusted officials that can help get the message out about COVID-19 and that testing is free.
“Then they worry about their cost, you know if we are sick who is going to pay for that…do we have insurance? Do we have Medicaid? And so the cost can be an impediment to good healthcare,” Gov. Hutchinson said.
49% of the COVID-19 cases in Benton County have been in the Latino community and 28% have been poultry workers.
Tyson Foods announced it will be testing every employee in the Northwest Arkansas plants.
The governor says Tyson is doing an extraordinary job and are a model for our state and nation.
“People should feel comfortable that they are working hard to keep the supply chain moving to make sure that we have food in our grocery store and that we have protein and that also it’s something they are working hard to keep their workers safe,” Gov. Hutchinson said.
Of the cases in Benton County, 63% of those come from Rogers.
Rogers Mayor Greg Hines met with the governor today and says they are continuing to look for ways to communicate the importance of social distancing and wearing masks when you can’t social distance.
“Until this lands in their home or this lands within the realms of their relationships within the community and they see the devastation, it seems to be something that folks aren’t taking seriously in many cases," Hines said. "Now some are and I am grateful to the percentage of our population that do take that stance."
Secretary of Health, Dr. Nate Smith says while we have done a lot of testing in Northwest Arkansas, the region is still behind the rest of the region in testing.
He has set a goal to test 120,000 people across the state in June. He also says many poultry companies are also doing their own contact tracing but this doesn’t replace the contact tracing the state also does.
Also, all residents of nursing homes and staff will be tested for COVID-19.