PROVIDENCE – The number of positive cases of the new coronavirus in the state has increased by 10, to 33, and Gov. Gina M. Raimondo on Wednesday announced that all public schools will operate as distance-learning schools from March 23 through April 3.
Schools are closed this week, as the governor had moved April vacation earlier due to the threat of coronavirus.
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Following the two weeks of distance learning, the situation will be evaluated and then a decision will be made on the remainder of the school year, said Raimondo.
“Other states have canceled all school,” said Raimondo. “ I am not yet willing to throw in the towel. I think that some learning is better than no learning.”
Raimondo noted that Rhode Island so far is the only state in the U.S. implementing a distance-learning plan.
State officials are working with child care centers, most of which are closed this week on the governor’s recommendation, on a case by case basis, she said, adding that some centers and home-based daycare centers will be open.
All public school buildings in the state will continue to be closed, and Raimondo is urging private schools to follow suit.
School districts have been creating distance-learning plans in preparation for this process since being ordered to create one by R.I. Commissioner of Elementary and Secondary Education Angelica Infante-Green.
The deadline for districts to submit plans is Thursday. Most have submitted, and the R.I. Department of Education is “working closely” with districts that have not yet done so, Infante-Green said.
The 10 new cases of COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus, include seven men and three women ranging in age from their 20s to 70s, said Dr. Nicole Alexander-Scott, the state’s health director.
Four of the people are hospitalized, with one expected to be discharged Wednesday.
A wide range of travel is associated with the new cases, including trips to Iceland, Amsterdam, Spain, England and France.
As of Wednesday, all health insurers operating in the state have been ordered to pay for all medically appropriate telehealth visits. The rate would remain the same as an in-patient visit. It applies to all specialist visits as well. This includes purely telephonic visits, as well as video visits – the governor said.
Raimondo also said that the R.I. Public Utilities Commission has issued an emergency order mandating that all regulated utilities cannot be terminated for any reason through the crisis, other than protecting someone’s safety.
Those that can pay their bill should pay them, Raimondo said.
Another change, Alexander-Scott said, applies to health care providers who are licensed and in good standing in other states. The state has expedited the process for doctors and others who meet qualifications to apply for licenses to practice in Rhode Island for 90 days. The process, which normally takes about a month, has been cut to a day or two. It is free, and providers can apply for one renewal.
Raimondo also acknowledged that unemployment insurance filings and temporary disability insurance filings are skyrocketing. “We will pay them all,” Raimondo said.
The governor said that she will work with the federal government to get the necessary funds.
