PROVIDENCE – Gov. Gina M. Raimondo ordered all K-12 schools in the state closed through the end of the school year Thursday, a move that she said she made reluctantly but which was informed by data on COVID-19 infections and hospitalizations.
While the state has held steady in recent days on hospitalizations with the infectious disease, the number of positive tests among Rhode Islanders with symptoms has steadily increased.
On Wednesday, the state reached 6,256 cases of COVID-19, with a 412-case increase from Tuesday, according to the R.I. Department of Health. The number of deaths climbed by another eight, to 189. The state has been tracking the number of tests and infections, and resulting treatment, since Feb. 29.
Of the eight new fatalities, four were residents of Rhode Island nursing homes, according to Department of Health director Dr. Nicole Alexander-Scott. Of all the questions asked from the press, some of the most frequent are about nursing homes, she said. To make the data more clear and accessible, the department on Thursday afternoon will begin to publish a data table on its website, she said. “With numbers for specific nursing homes this afternoon, so people can assess them,” she said.
Across Rhode Island, current hospitalizations due to COVID-19 totaled 267, a decline from 270 on Tuesday. Of those hospitalized, 72 people were in the intensive care unit and 45 were on ventilators.
To date, the state has seen 342 COVID-19-related hospital discharges.
Rhode Island conducted 2,694 tests Wednesday, bringing the total number of tests to 44,419. Although the state now has several sites in which tests are being conducted, the tests work best on people who have symptoms. Broad testing of people without symptoms has yet to begin in Rhode Island.
Raimondo said Thursday, in a conference call with reporters, that she expected to have more information next week on a new type of test that could reveal the presence of antibodies to the virus, an indication of which people have already been exposed to it.
The closure of schools in Rhode Island for the remainder of the 2019-20 school year dominated the state’s COVID-19 update. This means there will be no traditional graduation ceremonies, or proms, or other end-of-the-year celebrations. Thirty-nine other states have already decided to not reopen schools, Raimondo noted.
“It’s a hard decision. After a lot of thinking and listening, I’m confident it’s the right decision.”
High school sports and athletics are expected to also be cancelled, Raimondo said, although she said independent organizations would be making those decisions.
She said she felt compelled to make the decision to continue distance learning because of data that shows the number of COVID-19 cases in Rhode Island is still climbing. In general, the state is looking for a pattern of decreases before it can reopen the economy or schools, officials said.
“Unfortunately, our cases are still climbing,” Raimondo said. “Everyday, I hoped to see them going down.”
In good news, she reported, the state has received $625 million of the federal stimulus it expects to receive. It will be getting guidance soon from federal authorities on what the funds can be used for, and how it should be accounted for.
Raimondo said she understood the pressure placed on parents, particularly of young children, with the continued closure of schools as well as daycare centers. She said she expected to have more information on childcare options in the coming days.
For high school seniors, she said, the state will be recommending ways for an alternate graduation celebration.
Schools were closed by executive order on March 16. The last day will vary among districts, depending on when they started. Under state law, each district has to remain in session for 180 days.
This story has been updated with details from the governor’s press conference.
