New COVID deaths reported in NEA; ASU plans to return to in-person classes this fall

Arkansas State University is tentatively planning to have in-person classes this fall and hopes to have its dorms at full operation even as the number of COVID-19 cases continues to rise in Northeast Arkansas. The region’s most infected county, Crittenden, has 196 cases, according to the Arkansas Department of Health.

St. Francis County is second with 93 confirmed cases followed by Craighead County with 81. Lawrence County reported another death from the virus bringing the total to four dead in that county, while Poinsett County is now reporting two deaths from the disease.

Despite the continued spread of the virus, ASU officials remain hopeful that the 2020-21 school year will be held on campus. The system’s six current institutions, as well as future member Henderson State University, intend to return to in-person classes on campuses this fall as part of the COVID-19 pandemic recovery, President Chuck Welch said.

Guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and the Arkansas Department of Health will be used to formulate all plans in the coming weeks with a focus on maximum health and safety measures for students, faculty, staff and campus visitors. The plans will include reopening residence halls at Arkansas State University in Jonesboro, Arkansas State University-Beebe and Henderson State, Welch said.

“Our chancellors and their response teams have done a tremendous job guiding our employees and students through this difficult time,” Welch said. “Students have made clear they are eager to return to campus and their traditional classes. We want to move in that direction carefully with a focus on keeping everyone as safe and healthy as possible.”

Federal and state guidelines are expected to evolve over the next few months, Welch said, so he has asked the institutions to consider multiple scenarios and plan to be flexible regarding local needs and situations.

“Safety measures for fall classes that we develop in the next few weeks may be very different by August,” Welch said. “We don’t want to rush with a definitive plan now knowing state and federal guidelines are being changed in phases. While we can’t realistically expect complete campus normalcy this fall, we will make every effort to ensure our students have the best possible experiences on campus under the difficult circumstances.”

Each ASU System institution has a COVID-19 website page with information regarding campus updates on various topics, summer classes, commencement and other issues. They can be found at:

• Arkansas State University – https://www.AState.edu/Coronavirus
• ASU-Beebe – http://www.asub.edu/coronavirus-information/index.aspx
• ASU-Mountain Home – https://asumh.edu/pages/main/535/safety
• ASU-Newport – https://www.asun.edu/coronavirus
• ASU Mid-South – https://www.asumidsouth.edu/student-information/
• ASU Three Rivers – http://asutr.edu
• Henderson State University – https://www.hsu.edu/pages/coronavirus/