CORONAVIRUS IN RI

Cranston West student among new COVID-19 cases

State closing schools statewide next week; Solomon, Fung announce additional actions

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A student at Cranston High School West is among the nine new positive coronavirus cases announced by state officials on Friday.

In a message to members of the community, Cranston Public Schools – in coordination with the Rhode Island Department of Health – advised students, faculty and staff at the school to self-quarantine at home for the next 14 days “under an abundance of caution.”

“Students, faculty and staff under the quarantine should not leave their homes for the duration of the 14 day quarantine,” the message reads. “Those affected by the quarantine should monitor themselves if they begin to exhibit the following symptoms: fever, cough, sore throat and shortness of breath. Parents, siblings and other family members may leave their homes at their discretion, but should not admit visitors for any reason. Parents, siblings and other family members that begin to exhibit the aforementioned symptoms should also quarantine themselves for 14 days.”

In an update Friday afternoon, Mayor Allan Fung announced additional measures being taken at the city level. The Cranston Senior Enrichment Center and the Arlington Branch of the Cranston Public Library have been closed to the public until further notice, while the Cranston Veterans Memorial Ice Rink has been closed for the next week.

“Finally, for our local businesses that hold mass functions or have large seating capacities, we urge you to follow the mandates of the Governor and the Department of Health … As you go about your daily life, just continue to use caution and stay safe,” the mayor wrote.

In neighboring Warwick, meanwhile, Mayor Joseph Solomon on Friday declared a state of emergency for his community. The measure includes the cancellation of all municipal meetings and all programming at the city’s senior centers until further notice. Boxed meals remain available for seniors to pick up or have delivered. Additionally, the McDermott Aquatic Center and Thayer and Warburton ice arenas have been closed.

“This isn’t a step I take lightly, but it is a necessary action at this time to ensure the safety of our City,” Solomon said in a statement. “With an international airport, a train station, and numerous hotels, Warwick is a gateway to Rhode Island for many travelers.”

Confirmation of the Cranston COVID-19 case came just as state officials announced the nine new Rhode Island cases – which Health Director Dr. Nicole Alexander-Scott said include three children – and the closure of public schools next week. The state now has a total of 14 positive cases of the novel coronavirus, known formally as COVID-19.

Alexander-Scott said the State Health Laboratories currently have the capacity to test 80 people per day for the disease. According to the latest figures released Friday afternoon,  in addition to the 14 positive cases, 142 test results have come back negative and another 29 are pending. The number of residents who have been asked to self-quarantine due to direct contact with a person who tested positive was stood at 500.

The new positive tests announced Friday include five females and four males. Alexander-Scott said all of them are recovering at home, aside from one person who is now in isolation at a nursing home.

The health director said while an investigation of the chain of infection for those cases remains ongoing, each instance has been connected with one of four “unrelated trips.” The destinations involved include Europe, the Bahamas, Jamaica and “regional travel within our surrounding states.” In a subsequent press release, the regional destination was specified as Massachusetts.

Alexander-Scott also advised that the number of positive tests is expected to rise “particularly as we keep the focus of expanding testing.”

Also on Friday, Gov. Gina Raimondo – who has previously declared a state of emergency and requested the cancellation or postponement of any event or gathering involving more than 250 people for the next two weeks – announced additional measures aimed at curbing the spread of the virus in the Ocean State.

School vacation week has been moved from April to next week, beginning March 16. Raimondo said doing so will allow for development of “distance learning plans” and training on their implementation.

The press release adds: “It will also allow schools and districts to prepare to make meals available to at-risk students where possible, in the event we need to move to distance learning. Schools should also use next week to clean and disinfect all surfaces in their buildings. A decision will be made at the end of next week about what to do the following week.”

“I want to emphasize, we’re taking this a day at a time, a week at a time,” the governor said, adding that officials are encouraging childcare and daycare facilities to remain open next week.

Additionally, Rhode Islanders who have traveled internationally in the last 14 days are being asked to self-quarantine. Residents are also being asked to avoid all large events and crowded places – “Large gatherings, shut them down,” the governor said – although essential errands such as grocery shopping are excluded from that request.

“Anyone who can stay home next week, who can work from home next week, please do that, and keep your kids home with you,” Raimondo said.

Alexander-Scott said private schools are being urged to follow suit with public schools in closing for next week “because we want to have this across the board.”

Friday’s announcement also included new restrictions on nursing home visitation.

“Nursing home administrators have been directed to not allow any visitors (unless they are essential to the care of a resident),” the press release reads. “Additionally, nursing home administrators have been directed to continue actively screening staff, vendors, and all other people who enter facilities for illness and COVID-19 risks (for example, travel history or exposure to someone under investigation for COVID-19).”

Raimondo and Alexander-Scott both framed the current phase of the COVID-19 response as a “critical window” in terms of staving off the worst-case scenarios.

Raimondo said the situation is “playing out the way we thought it might” and that state officials are “planning for the worst and working for the best.”

“Every single Rhode Islander is on the front line of containing this … We will get to the recovery stage. And how quickly we get there depends on what each of us does now,” she said.

While noting the situation is “going to get worse before it gets better, and I don’t want to sugarcoat that,” she added: “Every state is reacting to this differently … we have taken broader, robust actions sooner, and that’s paying off.”

Elsewhere on Friday, the Rhode Island Interscholastic League announced it has canceled all its remaining winter sports tournaments and delayed the start of the spring season by a week.

The General Assembly also canceled its sessions and hearings for next week.

Health officials direct anyone with “general, non-medical” questions regarding COVID-19 to visit health.ri.gov/covid, email ridoh.covid19questions@health.ri.gov or call the COVID-19 hotline at 222-8022. The hotline is being staffed from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.

Outside of those hours, callers are directed to contact the United Way of Rhode Island’s 211 service.

Comments

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  • bendover

    The road to hell is paved with good intentions. This is clearly a serious health matter and yet, I would urge you to read the second and third paragraph in the above story. Does it make sense? School has been dismissed, the students have been told to go home and "self quarantine" for 14 days. The next paragraph says siblings and other family members may leave home at their discretion...HUH? Now couple this with students with potential exposure not going home or leaving home and visiting at least one local market as well as Garden City...How is this supposed to work? What about those who are over 60, have underlying health issues, and are shopping at the market out of absolute necessity? Have they been needlessly exposed because a directive isn't really a directive? How is this supposed to be enforced? If the Governor declares a state of emergency in the winter and orders only police, fire or medical personnel on the roads and you are stopped and not in that group, you will likely face a rather steep fine...This is worse. How do you enforce compliance? Without it, you are whistling past the graveyard thinking things will improve..Do something.

    Sunday, March 15, 2020 Report this

  • thepilgrim

    Coronavirus is a Psyop. No one has it because it doesn’t exist. But you will die from the mandatory vaccine they’ll require you to soon take.

    Sunday, March 15, 2020 Report this

  • thepilgrim

    Put Covid in Google Translate to Hebrew and then back to English. What English word comes up? Kobe. Where is Kobe Bryant buried? In Corona Del Mar. Interesting!

    Sunday, March 15, 2020 Report this

  • bill123

    Important proactive measure to combat virus:

    https://twitter.com/ShemekaMichelle/status/1238591653553868800

    Monday, March 16, 2020 Report this