PROVIDENCE – R.I. Department of Health on Sunday night announced the state’s second presumptive positive case of coronavirus disease 2019 and said another person has also been tested.
The new presumptive positive case is a teenager. She is at home with mild symptoms. An adult being tested is in her 30s and is also at home with mild symptoms.
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Health officials said the two individuals went on the same trip to Europe in mid-February as a male in his 40s who RIDOH announced on Sunday morning as Rhode Island’s first presumptive positive case of the COVID-19 virus.
Saint Raphael Academy, which organized the trip to Europe in mid-February, will be closed for the remainder of this week. The adult whose test results are still pending is a staff member at Achievement First Academy in Providence. Achievement First Academy will be closed for two days, pending the results of the staff member’s tests. The result is expected Monday morning, and the school is closing for an additional day to do environmental cleaning.
All 38 of the people who went on this trip will be self-monitoring for symptoms at home for 14 days with public health supervision. They have been instructed to not go to school or work and to remain at home for these 14 days.
“All three people went on the same trip to Italy,” said the state’s health director, Dr. Alexander-Scott. “This is precisely why we are being so aggressive in identifying contacts, ensuring monitoring, and testing people who are symptomatic.”
Outreach to the people who were in direct contact with any of these three individuals is ongoing. These direct contacts will be self-monitoring for symptoms at home for 14 days with public health supervision. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is managing contact tracing for people on the return flight that these three individuals took back to the United States.
The first person the state said has tested positive had limited travel in Rhode Island since returning from Italy and had not returned to work.
“As long as anyone exposed to the individual does not have symptoms outside of their home setting, the virus cannot spread to other people in the community,” said health officials.
Outreach to the people who were in direct contact with any of these three individuals is ongoing, said the state. These direct contacts will be self-monitoring for symptoms at home for 14 days with public health supervision.
State health officials expect to provide an update on the latest test results on Monday.
There have been more than 60 U.S. cases of COVID-19 confirmed. Globally, more than 80,000 cases have been confirmed. Health officials in Washington state on Sunday night announced the second death related to the virus in the United States.
(Updated throughout with details on second case, state response.)
