Arkansas is one of four states in the U.S. that has not passed any stay-at-home orders to combat coronavirus, and Governor Asa Hutchinson plans to keep it that way unless cases spike.
"That option is always on the table," Hutchinson told Cheddar. "If it does spike, if we stop beating the curve, then we will certainly move to more stringent measures."
In the meantime, Hutchinson has opted to shut down schools and select businesses and enforce social distancing guidelines. These measures stop short of the kind of comprehensive shutdowns that other states have employed to stop the spread of COVID-19. The governor has even forbidden cities and municipalities from imposing lockdown orders.
Hutchinson is one of eight governors who have held off on issuing statewide stay-at-home orders, although half of those states have ordered residents in some specific areas to stay in place. He called this approach a "better balance" of safety and economic concerns, while critics have called it irresponsible and potentially dangerous.
"If we went to a shelter-at-home order, then still, because every state exempts essential services, 700,000 Arkansans would still go to work tomorrow, but you'd put 100,000 people out of work," he said.
There have been more than 1,100 coronavirus cases and 21 deaths in Arkansas. This places it in the middle of the pack in terms of the impact of COVID-19, but it also discovered its first case much later (March 11) than the states now approaching their apex.
Whether this more targeted approach will be as effective remains to be seen, but Hutchinson is banking on Arkansans strictly following social distancing guidelines in order to avoid an economic shutdown.
"It's almost an incentive to Arkansans that if you keep social distancing, if you keep reducing the spread, then we're not going to have to be able to shut every business down," he said. "That incentive is working. If it doesn't, we'll put in additional measures."
Hutchinson claims that his state's approach to fighting the outbreak has gotten the tacit approval of White House Coronavirus Task Force member Dr. Anthony Fauci, who has nonetheless said multiple times that every state should issue stay-at-home orders to be safe.
"I spoke with Dr. Fauci this morning and reviewed what we're doing," he said. "He's very pleased with the success that we've had. Our measures have been more effective than some other states that have gone to a stay-at-home order."
Of course Arkansas, like many states facing this rapidly developing pandemic, could find itself in a different situation in the weeks to come.
For now, the governor is urging those celebrating Easter this Sunday to meet remotely or observe strict social distancing. The state has not officially banned religious gatherings.
Americans looking to purchase at-home COVID-19 tests will now have to shell out a bit more money after an agreement expired between the White House and companies to sell the tests at cost. The price of Abbot's BinaxNow test kit from October to December was $14 apiece; on Tuesday, Walmart's website listed the test for $19.88, and Kroger listed the tests for $23.99. Carbon Health Regional Clinical Director Dr. Bayo Curry-Winchell joined Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss the impact higher prices will have as the nation experiences another surge in cases.
After the Chicago teachers union voted to work remotely due to what they say is a lack of safety protocols amid the COVID-19 surge, the school system canceled classes on Wednesday, citing harm that remote learning has done to the city's children. Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers, joined Cheddar to discuss the issues surrounding the latest dispute between educators and schools. She said that the return to in-person learning would likely be halted until more COVID tests could be provided for districts. "This is a terrible situation for everybody, and we need the testing, and we need the masks," she said. "It's the omicron surge that has created this disruption, and we are trying to do the best we can. And this is the only school district that has this kind of action right now." The teachers might not be returning to their schools for at least two weeks amid the ongoing tensions.
Illinois State Senator Robert Martwick joins Cheddar News to discuss the new bill he co-sponsored allowing students in the state to take 5 mental health days without a doctor's note.
On Monday, President Biden announced his new plan to take on inflation by taking down the big meat monopolies - turning to the federal government's antitrust authorities to investigate the major meatpackers that control a significant share of the market. The White House plans to devote one billion dollars to aiding independent meat and poultry producers in an effort to undercut the few powerful meat producers that have control of the sector. Austin Frerick, deputy director of Thurman Arnold Project at Yale, joins Cheddar News to discuss.
As the pandemic drags on, so does the widespread great resignation. In November alone, 4.5 million Americans quit their jobs, marking a new record high, and showing a 9 percent jump from the month prior. On the flip side, the number of people filing tax paperwork to start new businesses is surging, with over 430,000 new businesses launching in November. Rhett Buttle, the founder of Public Private Strategies and national business advisor to the Biden for President campaign, joined Wake Up with Cheddar to discuss.
New York Attorney General Letitia James is ramping up a civil investigation into The Trump Organization. The AG's office has subpoenaed Ivanka Trump and Donald Trump Jr. They have refused to comply with the subpoenas. Bradley Moss, national security attorney, joins Cheddar News to discuss the next steps in this investigation.
Colorado Gov. Jared Polis has officially reduced the 110-year prison sentence of truck driver Rogel Aguilera-Mederos to 10 years, calling the initial lengthy sentence “unjust.” Dan Gilleon, constitutional attorney at Gilleon Law Firm APC, joined Cheddar to discuss more.
Former Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams was sworn in as the newest Mayor of New York City. Adams is now expected to work on a number of issues such as crime and coronavirus. Erin Durkin,, reporter at PoliticoNY, joins Cheddar News to discuss more.
California's new composting law will affect what residents do in their kitchens. As of this week, Californians will have to recycle excess food in an effort to reduce emissions caused by food waste. Cities and counties will turn recycled food into compost or use it as a renewable energy source. California's new law is the largest mandatory residential food waste recycling program in the country. Rachel Wagoner, Director of the California Department of Resources, Recycling and Recovery called the law 'the biggest change to trash' since recycling started in the 1980s. She joined Cheddar Climate to discuss.
