LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) — An Arkansas state senator has tested positive for COVID-19 and the state Capitol’s cafeteria has closed because of the rising number of virus cases.
State Sen. Clarke Tucker said Wednesday that he had tested positive. Tucker, a Democrat from Little Rock, said he has received his vaccinations and booster.
“I’ve been pretty sick this week and don’t want to think about what it would have been like if I hadn’t received both vaccines and a booster,” Tucker tweeted.
The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reported Thursday that the Capitol cafeteria has closed for the rest of the week because several staff members contracted COVID-19.
Arkansas has seen a spike in cases and hospitalizations because of the highly contagious omicron variant of the coronavirus. The state on Wednesday reported nearly 11,000 new cases, a new record since the pandemic began. The true number of cases is likely higher because of people testing at home or who are infected but haven’t been tested.
The number of people in the state hospitalized with COVID-19 rose by 37 to 1,185. The state’s COVID-19 deaths rose by 14 to 9,372.
