'A Trend In The Wrong Direction' | RI Sees Coronavirus Uptick

PROVIDENCE, RI — At her weekly news conference Wednesday, Gov. Gina Raimondo did not mince words: Rhode Islanders need to do better when it comes to preventing the spread of the coronavirus.

The latest data from the Rhode Island Department of Health shows an alarming trend in the state, with the three top indicators — new hospitalizations, the number of new cases and the state's positive test rate — all on the rise over the past week.

"It's not great news ... we need to get ourselves back on track," Raimondo said. "It's a trend, and it's a trend in the wrong direction. It's time to course correct."

Wednesday's 2.7 percent positive test rate was the highest it has been in months. Over the past week, the state has frequently been over 2 percent, Raimondo said, figures that haven't been seen in since the beginning of August as a result of July 4 parties.

As was the case then, social gatherings are to blame, Raimondo said. While Rhode Islanders are doing well wearing masks when in public and interacting with strangers and have, for the most part, stopped having large gatherings and moved towards more stable groups, it's the small gatherings — having family over for dinner, visiting with two or three friends inside a home, seeing the same friend each day — that can be the most vulnerable moments, since they allow people to let their guard down, she said.

"COVID-19 does not care who you're with, if it's a close family member or friend," Dr. Nicole Alexander-Scott, the director of the Department of Health, bluntly put it. "We are sounding the alarm ... we can stop the trend we're going in."

Both Raimondo and Alexander-Scott reiterated the absolute necessity of wearing a mask and maintaining social distance any time a person is with someone who is outside of their household, even in a small group.

"Let this be a wake-up call to us, Rhode Island," the governor said. "We've all, even me and my family, become a little too relaxed."

In the past week, the number of new hospitalizations in the state jumped from 67 to 106, and the number doubled over the past four weeks. While hospitals are still "well below" their capacity and intensive care units and ventilator supplies are not strained, hospital leaders have raised their concerns about the trend to state leadership, Raimondo said.

In response to the increase, new regulations will be announced Thursday, Raimondo said. While they are still being finalized, they will not include moving back a phase of reopening, school closures or further crackdowns on restaurants and businesses, she said, because these are not the main areas of concern. For the most part, the current regulations have been effective in slowing the spread of the virus in what are known as "controlled spaces." These include churches, schools, restaurants and any other public space where regulations mandate mask-wearing, distancing and cleaning procedures. It's informal gatherings, where mask-wearing and distancing are uncommon, that are the major cause for concern, and where enforcing regulations becomes challenging.

"They're not wearing masks, they're not social distancing, their guard is down," Raimondo said of informal gatherings.

She later explained that while regulations will be enforced, it's incumbent on Rhode Islanders to "do the right thing" and follow the rules, for the good of the state.

"No, police won't come knocking at your door for every gathering," she said.

The governor also repeatedly pointed to Wisconsin and other Midwestern states that are currently seeing major spikes in cases, forcing lockdowns and other strict measures. Like Rhode Island, the data showed a troubling trend a few weeks ago, she said, and if the state acts now, "we can get a lid on it before it gets out of hand."

"There's no reason Rhode Island should get into trouble," Raimondo said. "We can stop it now before it becomes a problem."