Governor: Virus cases must drop for contact sports to move to next phase

Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson speaks to reporters at the state Capitol in Little Rock on Tuesday in this still of video provided by the governor's office.
Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson speaks to reporters at the state Capitol in Little Rock on Tuesday in this still of video provided by the governor's office.

Gov. Asa Hutchinson said during a news conference Tuesday that contact sports, such as football, will not move to the next phase until coronavirus cases are down in Arkansas.

Arkansas high school football teams were able to resume in-person workouts June 1, but in smaller groups and with no contact. However, these workouts will continue as covid-19 cases grow in the state.

Hutchinson said he was “anxious to play,” but that until the number of cases decrease he didn’t “expect the movement to take place for going to a phase three, or for opening up for those additional contact sports."

[Video not showing up above? Click here to view » https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jyw7xPCqGZg]

On Tuesday, Hutchinson reported 520 new covid-19 cases and 290 hospitalizations, and five additional people had died from the virus. Altogether, Arkansas has had 20,527 confirmed cases of covid-19 and 270 people have died from the virus.

Three Arkansas high schools — Jonesboro, Lake Hamilton and Mountain Pine — have confirmed at least one positive test in their athletic programs.

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