Empty casinos are so surreal. Folks outside wanting to come in. Pine Bluff water pressure not playing nice. Water company great. Water pressure- not so much. @SaracenCasinoAR pic.twitter.com/Dq86JsCenh
— 𝐂𝐚𝐫𝐥𝐭𝐨𝐧 𝐒𝐚𝐟𝐟𝐚 (@carltontsaffa) February 20, 2021
The thaw has begun. Hot Springs, facing a critical water situation this week, has said residents may stop dripping faucets because temperatures have risen sufficiently to make frozen pipes less of a problem. Low water pressure prompted the temporary closure of the Saracen Casino in Pine Bluff. The Oaklawn Casino in Hot Springs is open today. It closed at midnight Friday to help with local water issues but reopened at 10 a.m. today. (Saracen is back open, I’m told.)
Main arteries are open in Little Rock, but many side streets remain a problem. Four-wheel drive vehicles can make it up the hill from my house, sometimes, but clearing is many hours off. I’m hoping for rain Sunday.
Here’s the governor’s daily COVID-19 report. Cases are up sharply, to more than 500 new ones in the last 24 hours, though on only 3,663 tests. That positive rate is high. Vaccine distribution was up in the last 24 hours compared with the previous couple of days but was still only about half of what had been achieved before the big freeze.
There are 517 new COVID-19 cases in Arkansas. Yesterday showed an increase in vaccine distribution compared to the day before. I expect this trend to continue with roads clearing throughout the state and our weekend vaccination catch-up.
Full report: pic.twitter.com/sbQS30qxHr
— Gov. Asa Hutchinson (@AsaHutchinson) February 20, 2021
The line is open.