The same day Gov. Asa Hutchinson confirmed the state's first presumptive case of covid-19, he declared a statewide emergency and named the Arkansas Department of Health the lead agency in the fight against the virus.
That was March 11, a mere 21 days ago.
The virus was likely already working its way around the state as unknowing, untested carriers passed it to family and friends or anyone within reach of a cough's spray.
Nevertheless, when that first presumptive Arkansas victim surfaced, the governor and his administration responded immediately.
In the time since, the number of coronavirus cases in the state has topped 500 and is projected to multiply to 3, 500 cases in just the next two weeks.
No one knows when the spread will end, or how many victims it might ultimately claim, but Arkansas' leaders are responding well in a state sandwiched between Missouri and Louisiana, both with dramatically surging covid-19 outbreaks.
This is a serious situation, one that absolutely demands leadership at the top.
Imagine if Arkansas had had a leader who couldn't or wouldn't deal with the situation, who dressed it up with false claims that the virus will just disappear one day. Or worse, maybe that "leader" was ignoring, even disputing the experts who plainly told him otherwise.
That describes the way President Donald Trump has handled his job guiding the nation's response to coronavirus in the months he's had since covid-19 hit American shores.
That's not what we've seen in Arkansas. In these 20-plus days since the first case emerged in Arkansas, Gov. Hutchinson has worked with his advisers, amending his emergency order a half dozen times and issuing other related orders for the fight.
He quickly called the Legislature into special session to adjust the state budget to reflect the economic downturn and provide funding to address the virus.
He has also been holding daily briefings, along with state Health Department Secretary Nate Smith, reporting progress of the disease to Arkansans in no-nonsense terms.
No lies. No embellishments. No self-serving pontification.
These two give us facts and advice on what each of us should -- and must -- do to protect ourselves and others.
Neither Gov. Hutchinson nor Dr. Smith pulls punches as they relate what is happening in Arkansas or what the state can expect in the days and weeks ahead.
They're the ones behind decisions to keep the schools closed at least until April 17, to limit most gatherings to no more than 10 people, to direct state employees to work from home and encourage most businesses to do the same.
They haven't done it alone. Others in both state and local governments also deserve due credit for steps they have initiated. The governor and the state health secretary are actually leading the efforts to slow the virus.
Dr. Smith is a former state epidemiologist who has been at the helm of the Health Department since 2013.
When Hutchinson was first elected, he kept Smith in his cabinet, where he is now this governor's longest-serving secretary.
First appointed by former Gov. Mike Beebe, Smith has spent decades studying infectious diseases and working with others around the world. The experience definitely prepared him for the role he has now.
Hutchinson, with his own background in Homeland Security, and Smith have proven to be a strong team as this state anticipates a worsening spread of the coronavirus.
As of Tuesday afternoon, the state's known cases numbered 523, out of 6,492 people tested in Arkansas for covid-19. Eight covid-19 patients have died.
Those numbers are bad enough, but Hutchinson has warned that the number of coronavirus cases in Arkansas is expected to hit 3,500 just two weeks from now.
It's "too early to tell" when the outbreak will peak, according to Hutchinson, who said the state is nonetheless preparing for the worst-case scenario that more than 10,000 patients could need hospital care at once within a few months.
The state is exploring options for increasing hospital capacity, with expectations that about 2,000 more beds could be available over the next four or five weeks. That still might not be enough for the apex of the disease here but would buy time to get more beds.
Hutchinson said he has also ordered 500 ventilators, which would be a "massive" expansion of current capacity, the governor said. Current capacity is just over 800 and most of those are not now in use.
Given the rapid spread of the virus, all of those and more could be needed before this is over.
The point is, whether it is hospital beds or ventilators or the masks and gowns vital to keeping health care workers safe, someone is anticipating the need and actually trying to fill it for Arkansas.
And they're being led by a governor and a Health Department secretary who can build confidence and calm fears by bringing common sense and uncommon expertise to the job.
Commentary on 04/01/2020