HOT SPRINGS, Ark. – Governor Asa Hutchinson visited with local leaders on Tuesday to see what kind of impact the COVID pandemic has had in that area.
Many leaders were confident that Garland County and Hot Springs have handled the issue well.
Hospitals in the area have seen their volume creep back up to normal numbers. Hospitals saw revenues drop by 40%. No workers have contracted the virus while at work either and there are only three patients currently being treated for COVID.
The area was hit as hard economically. Garland County unemployment numbers were the 2nd highest in the state and the city of Hot Springs saw unemployment at 19.6% in the month of April.
Secretary of Commerce Mike Preston believes the state is beginning to rebound as the numbers there are seeing are encouraging. The latest unemployment numbers should be released on Friday.
