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Your Coronavirus Update – August 6, 2020
Graphic: RI State Police hotline set up for individuals to report on violating social gatherings (not an official logo of the “Large Gathering Task Force Hotline”)
NATIONAL & INTERNATIONAL
MAINE Unity: Staff and children at day care facilities must now wear masks per new guidelines from the state. The guidelines require mask use for children ages 5 and older and recommend it for those 2 through 4,
Dr. Oxiris Barbot, NYC’s health commissioner since 2018 — resigned in protest over the mayor’s decision-making.
Local volunteers have received their first injections in the large, final stage trial of a COVID-19 vaccine candidate created by Cambridge-based Moderna.
Four “Station Casinos” resorts in southern Nevada may have closed for good.
Anticipated another work slow down or shut down, many retail companies are hiring back only some of their full time workers, opting to hire others on an as-needed, or temporary basis.
Maine state officials are investigating a group of positive coronavirus cases among blueberry workers – the 3rd such outbreak in the industry.
Connecticut has formed an online portal to help those who need housing assistance during the COVID-19 crisis.
In MA, Concord Coach Lines, Dartmouth Coach, and Boston Express will be running again on Aug. 16, including service to Logan.
The U.S.S. Constitution, and the U.S.S. Constitution Museum in Boston plan to reopen this Friday
The MBTA is adding 23 routes, and cutting service to low ridership lines.
Smith College has changed its plans for the fall semester and will now offer all courses remotely.
Walmart is offering drive-in movies in their parking lots at over 100 stores
Warnings for pet owners and PPE items such as masks – masks have a wire in the bridge that can puncture the gastrointestinal tract and lead to really serious sepsis, if eaten, and pets, especially cats, are drawn to chewing and eating the strings, as well.
NYC checkpoints to stop travelers from the over 30 states, including RI, will be set up at different entry points each day starting with Penn Station today. There will be “a random element” and every sixth or eighth car on a bridge might be checked. Fines of $10K are talked about.
Maryland, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Michigan, Ohio, and Virginia have announced a bipartisan interstate compact to purchase 3 million rapid antigen tests. RI is not part of this group.
In the NBA bubble no new cases for the 3rd week
NCAA Div. II and III have canceled season – Div I, has yet to decide.
How to find a bathroom in the times of pandemic! (or…what can you do when you can’t…) https://lat.ms/2XuSO3y
Massachusetts has fallen outside of its own 10% case rate as it imposes restrictions on travel in from other states.
The Rockettes will not be performing this season.
91 memberS of a Ohio church came down with coronavirus after attending a service with one positive person.
Argosy Cruises has suspended service – and their popular Emerald City Christmas Cruise – until 2021.
UConn Football Season will not happen this year.
Wall Street’s big rally keeps rolling, and the S& P 500 rose for a fourth straight day Wednesday to sit just 1.7% below its record.
Virus testing is dropping around the country, even as death numbers rise.
Photographers and other wedding vendors are desperate to work after the coronavirus put an abrupt end to their incomes and feel compelled to put on their masks, grab their cameras and hope for the best.
Virgin Atlantic, the airline founded by British businessman Richard Branson, filed Tuesday for protection in U.S. bankruptcy court as it tries to survive the virus pandemic that is hammering the airline industry. Branson said bankruptcy is a tool that allows them to reorganize.
Novavax’s 1st-stage coronavirus vaccine study finds all volunteers developed viral antibodies
No-mask weddings, no social distancing and dance floors prohibited in many states have been the talk of online groups for vendors around the country.
The University of Michigan is telling students to check their temperature twice a day and avoid social gatherings, work and public transportation for 14 days before returning to Ann Arbor.
Joe Biden and speakers will not go to the Democratic National Convention out of concern for the virus and to keep people safe
RHODE ISLAND & VICINITY
Newport Creamery in Newport closed until Spring, 2021
Johnson & Wales University announced July 29 that it has updated its learning plans for the fall semester, which includes most classes to be taught online.
Roger Williams Park Jack-O-Lantern Spectacular will be drive through only this year – tickets are on sale TODAY.
More restaurants in violation listed by RI: Morse Tavern, Coventry – Portsmouth Publick House, Portsmouth – Asian Bakery, Providence.
RI Interscholastic League’s plan, football — along with field hockey, boys and girls soccer and girls and unified volleyball — will not begin their seasons on the Sept. 14. If Raimondo’s guidelines change, it reads that the RIIL could add those fall sports back to the schedule. If not, the league has a plan that could potentially see four seasons of high school sports for 2020-21.
Given new metrics to open schools in RI, only Central Falls, Pawtucket and Providence could not reopen.
Mayflower II will not be stopping in Newport – it will stay in New Bedford – this is because of coronavirus restrictions.
While bar AREAS must close at 11pm starting Friday, they can continue to serve drinks – and food – to patrons seated at tables in RI. Strict “bars” without food, not operating under restaurant guidelines, cannot be reopened yet.
A Black Lives Matter protest of over 100 people happened in downtown Providence yesterday, most were seen wearing masks and some social distancing.
The RI Family Court will offer night sessions to address its backlog of cases from when courts were closed because of the coronavirus.
A new RI smartphone app is connecting fishermen and consumers who want to buy directly from the source, according to the University of Rhode Island and several partners – FishLIne on your iphone or android.
RI’s gross domestic product (GDP) contracted at a 40.6% annualized rate from April through June, harder hit than most parts of the US, which are around 34%.
RI’s Tourism Industry is responding to the Governor’s address requiring them to enforce the new travel policy – Hospitality Assoc is assisting local hotels comply.
Governor’s address:
RI DATA:
Data: 84 new cases; 1 Death (80 y.o.)
Variance in # of new cases – we had one day with 50s, some in 70s, and some days over 100….because of that we want to make sure we’re doing everything we can. Fatality numbers have been lower. Three days with 0 deaths. Some days there are deaths.
Overview of case investigations: Common threads –
One trend: 12% of positive cases reported recent travel – Fl, Northeast, Midwest. Academic & Media Organizations are doing data analyses – other states – MA are using this data – not apples to apples data. Working hard to see how to compare data.
Another trend: people 20 to 39, some younger, some older, continue to be a challenge to get them to take responsibility for their actions. Making choices to wear a mask can be a challenge. Want to help this group understand that they can be positive without symptoms. Sign up portalri.gov starting tonight for a test.
Another thread: reluctance to provide information to contact tracers – info is always kept confidential.
Social gatherings: beaches, bars, BBQs, churches, etc. – if you are in a crowd without a mask the risk of COVID19 being passed is extremely high. Key is to have citizens report these events. State, city, local. There will be people in the community providing masks and hand sanitizers and to tell people if their group is too large. Need people from all parts of society to participate.
Travel restrictions: NY, NJ, CT, MA put travel restrictions on people who come in from RI. Each state has own specific rules. Doesn’t apply for shopping within the day, commuters, essential workers. Good thing because less we are traveling the better. We need to do better because our numbers are going up (mask wearing, distancing). This will hurt our economy – people will think twice before coming here for a restaurant, etc. We are still below 3%, still testing more than any other state in US, still below 3%. RI is at a turning point – we want to get kids back to school; people back to work – RI is teetering – very fragile place. We have a choice right now. We need to clamp down ourselves and get more serious.
New Restrictions: “If we don’t follow we’ll be back next week with even stronger rules.” –
Traveler Testing: Some people were planning to go away for this weekend – as of this afternoon, we are making it easier to get a rapid test – portal.ri.gov – planning to travel to another state – you can get tested at the Convention Center and RI will try to get results in 24 hours.
Enforcement of our own out of state quarantine order: More than 11% of our cases traced back to out of state travel – we need to do more to stop others from coming in from 33 states with percent positive rate of more than 5% – or quarantine or test. Go to reopeningRI.com for list. Updated daily. (Non-work related purposes). Starting Sunday, anyone from those states will sign a certificate of compliance saying they will quarantine or they have been tested. (includes beach house rentals in RI). Similar to what they are doing in Maine. RI National Guard will go to airport and train station – asking travelers, handing out info, more signage.
Bars: Continue to see bars are a problem by looking at the data. 20% of bars at restaurants were still not separating the bartender from the customer. Many voices saying to shut down all bar areas. May do this next week, but starting Friday, no bars can operate after 11pm. Restaurants that have a bar can stay open, but bar area must be closed. Inspectors will be out in force. Ramping up inspection. If this doesn’t work, will shut bar areas down completely next week. On ReopeningRI – Thursday – everything will be listed – might also include roped off requirements.
Social Gatherings: Limit is 15 people – should not have 25 people, etc. Should be same 15 people. Wear masks. Enforcement will increase. Setting up new Crush Covid unit at the RI State Police to shut down social gatherings. If you see violations, reach out and let people know. Call 764-5554. Do your civic duty because you see an event too big, without masks, etc. Fine for violating is up to $500 each. If you are at a party, close together, more than 15, no masks, each person can be fined. Encourage people to stay outside.
Testing: Good news – RI is contracting with Dominion Diagnostics and Accureference Labs will massively expand capacity and guaranteed 48 hour turnaround time. By next month Dominion will increase capacity to 7,000 tests per day – added to existing it would be 9,000 per day. This will be key piece of the puzzle to get kids back to school.
Asymptomatic Testing: – 18-39 years old – go to portalri.gov – go there and sign up for a free test.
Crush Covid App – More than 70,000 have downloaded it. New version.
Schools – Reviewed data and requirements to open schools – 5 key areas: statewide data, municipal data, testing, supplies (PPE), operational readiness (facilities). To fully reopen, each municipality must have less than 100 new cases per 100,000 people, or they will have to go with a more limited options. Today 3 municipalities could not open – Pawtucket, Central Falls, and Providence. They would move to a partial reopening plan – the rest of the state would fully open. Go to: BackToSchoolRI.com for details. Final announcements August 16th based on previous week’s data. Great plans submitted by Tiverton, Smithfield, Scituate and Middletown for their plans – you can go online and review what they came up with.
Commission of Education Infante-Green:
Little Compton and other schools (ICS) have proposed a tent for fresh air breaks. Name of the game is flexibility.
Dr. Scott:
COVID Management Protocol Guide for Schools: to prevent cases and how to work with RIDOH when a case is identified.
Questions:
Did RI try to lobby Massachusetts to not do this? No, rules are rules. Will talk to Johns Hopkins to see if their data could more accurately reflect the actual data. Gov. was disappointed and will work as hard as possible to get off the list. RI is just a hair over.
Crush Covid Unit – was it in place before MA ban? Gov. says they have been talking about doing this for a few weeks.
Fall Sports – this afternoon – pretty consistent – tennis, cross country, non-contact allowed, others to play later today. RIIL will put it out.
How is being on this don’t travel list a good thing? Gov. said she doesn’t want to be on this list because it is bad for business – but it is good for
Is it just Pawt/CF/Prov residents’ behavior that is ruining it for the whole state? Dr. Scott said no, that’s not true. People are transporting all around cities/towns.
Except for these 3 communities, all other districts should be able to go back to school? – only one measure is an incidence rate – but there are other things to be done before they can go back.
Hotline – if I see a group of 100 I should turn in this group when I call the RI State Police? Is this anonymous? “State police are professionals”- they will just want to know where they need to go to reinforce the rules about the party. This is in effect NOW.
Census Bureau – dialing back its deadline – is reasonable
School adaptations – how many are ready to go? Many supt. have purchased items, moved schools around, bought desks to replace tables, etc. Is it possible some schools will be ready in time, given their physical structures?
In 3 districts – Pawt, CF, Prov – these are the most needy for wi-fi, lunches, etc. – how can we help them “get there” to go back to school.
Release from RI State Police:
RI State Police establishing large gathering task force hotline
“Scituate, R.I. Governor Gina M. Raimondo, Rhode Island State Police Colonel James M. Manni, Superintendant of the Rhode Island State Police and the Director of the Department of Public Safety and Nicole Alexander-Scott, MD, MPH, Director of the Rhode Island Department of Health (RIDOH) announced that, effective today, the Rhode Island State Police have established a “Large Gathering Task Force Hotline” to report violations of social gathering.
To report a suspected large gathering only, please call the following:
Rhode Island State Police: Hotline number 401-764-5554
To report all violations regarding businesses or other COVID-19 related questions or concerns, please contact the following:
Rhode Island Department of Health: health.ri.gov”