LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) — More Arkansas schools announced shifts to virtual classes Thursday as the state continued to see record increases in COVID-19 cases.
The North Little Rock School District announced that there would be no on-site instruction, after-school activities or athletic events at its campuses on Friday and Monday. The district joins Little Rock and Pulaski County special school districts in shifting to virtual because of the spike in cases fueled by the highly contagious omicron variant.
The state announced 7,787 new cases of the virus Thursday, the third day in a row it’s reached a new one-day record in cases. The actual number of cases is likely higher due to people testing at home or who are infected and not getting tested.
The state’s COVID-19 deaths increased by 22 to 9,278 since the pandemic. The number of people hospitalized with COVID-19 increased by 73 to 892.
The Arkansas National Guard announced that 40 Guard members would deploy next week to nine hospitals in eight cities around the state to assist with COVID-19 testing. Gov. Asa Hutchinson announced the deployments Tuesday in response to increased demand for testing.
