LITTLE ROCK – Visitors from out-of-state can once again book hotels and lodging for recreational purposes. However, restrictions are still in place for those coming from hot spot locations. Hot spot currently include New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, and New Orleans but are subject to change based on information from the CDC.

The Governor announced he is extending his original emergency declaration for an additional 45 days. It was set to expire on May 21.

Health Secretary Dr. Nate Smith said his agency will be issuing a directive for recreational pools later this week.  In addition, he said he will be changing directives for gyms to allow the use of lap lanes in pools.

Additional testing at the federal prison in Forrest City has resulted in an additional 94 inmates testing positive. Those cases are not yet added to the overall number of cases in the state. To date, 264 inmates at Forrest City and 876 inmates at Cummins have tested positive for COVID-19.