LITTLE ROCK, Ark — Gov. Asa Hutchinson is responding after nearly 300 doctors from around Arkansas wrote a letter, urging him to impose new restrictions to curb a surge in coronavirus cases.
The letter came from the doctors on Wednesday, Nov. 18 as the state's COVID-19 hospitalizations hit a new record level.
Gov. Hutchinson responded by assuring that he shared the same commitment to slowing the spread of COVID-19 in Arkansas and recognizes the importance of maintaining hosptial capacity.
The governor reiterated in his letter that his administration and the Arkansas Department of Health have been committed to providing public health guidelines based on the recommendations of Arkansas's public health experts.
"We have taken aggressive actions to stop the spread of COVID-19 in our communities by limiting our restaurant business capacity to accommodate social distancing and proper sanitation," Gov. Hutchinson said in the letter.
The letter was followed by additional specifics related to those actions.
You can read the full letter here:
The governor said he will continue to be guided by the expertise and experience of public health officials and evaluate appropriate actions to mitigate the impact on Arkansas's hospital capacity.