coronavirus in rhode island

Visitors to nursing homes and assisted living facilities in Rhode Island are now required to either be vaccinated or provide proof of a negative COVID-19 test before being granted entry, Gov. Daniel McKee announced Monday. The rule, which goes into effect immediately, is designed to keep residents and staff at such facilities safer during a surge in new coronavirus cases….

Rhode Island is implementing a “test to stay” option in the Westerly schools as a pilot program to minimize days out of the classroom during the pandemic, the governor said Wednesday. Other districts nationwide are using this method, where children can remain in school despite exposures to infected people as long as they continue to test negative for COVID-19. Families…

A Rhode Island school committee is pushing back against the governor’s executive order requiring masks in schools, voting to allow “conscientious objections” to the directive. The Glocester School Committee also voted Monday night to authorize lawyers to explore the legality of Gov. Daniel McKee’s order issued last week that requires students, staff and faculty in the state’s schools to...

Gov. Dan McKee has signed into law legislation allowing restaurants to continue to use COVID-19 modifications, including outdoor dining and takeout windows. The legislation imposes a moratorium on the enforcement of any municipal ordinance or zoning requirement that would penalize restaurants and bars for modifications made in response to emergency orders from state or local officials. The moratorium is effective…

The recommendation comes after reports of six individuals developing rare blood clots. More than 6.8 million people have received the J&J vaccine nationwide.

The U.S. is recommending a “pause” in administration of the single-dose Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine out of “an abundance of caution” to investigate reports of rare, potentially dangerous blood clots.

All six New England states on Tuesday announced a pause on the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine after U.S. health officials announced they would immediately stop administering doses at federal sites. Officials in Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Connecticut, Vermont and Maine said they had recommended that vaccinators that have made Johnson & Johnson appointments not administer those doses....

The Rhode Island Department of Health made about 4,000 first-dose coronavirus vaccination appointments available on Tuesday. The appointments for the Moderna vaccine were for March 30 through April 3 at the state-run mass vaccination site at the Dunkin’ Donuts Center in Providence. More first-dose appointments will be made available on Wednesday, but a department spokesperson said in a statement that…

The city of Pawtucket on Monday opened coronavirus vaccination eligibility to all adults who live in the city. Residents must be 18 or older to receive a Moderna or Johnson & Johnson vaccine or 16 or older for a Pfizer shot, Mayor Donald Grebien said in a statement. “There is a demand in the community for vaccines, and we are…

The Providence School Department has notified 270 staff, mostly teachers, that they will need to apply for different jobs this spring as a result of ending one-year positions and failure to meet certification requirements. The U.S. Justice Department has ordered the school district to hire more English as a Second Language teachers after the federal department found rampant deficiencies in…

As part of its plan to get the coronavirus vaccine to residents who cannot leave their homes, Rhode Island health officials on Friday launched a website to gather information about the housebound. The site does not allow people to sign up for a vaccination appointment — it is simply to collect information for planning purposes, the state Department of Health…

Vaccines have been given to board members at Lifespan and trustees at Care New England even as older adults across the state have to wait weeks or months for their turn, officials say. Both companies, the state’s largest and second-largest hospital groups, respectively, have expanded eligibility to everyone who works there, no matter their age or risk or exposure,...

Lt. Gov. Daniel McKee is quarantining at home after coming into close contact with someone who later tested positive for COVID-19, officials said Saturday. The lieutenant governor learned of the close contact Saturday morning, has since tested negative and is showing no symptoms, officials said. He will continue to be tested and will remained quarantined until midnight on Jan. 12,…

Democratic Gov. Gina Raimondo said in a message Tuesday night that COVID-19 test scheduling has been suspended for Thursday. She also urged residents to check if their testing site is closed Thursday if they already have a test scheduled. Closures well be posted on the state Department of Health’s social media channels, Raimondo said. Some outdoor testing sites may...

Rhode Island’s coronavirus numbers continue to head in the wrong direction, according to data released Friday. The seven-day rolling average of daily new cases in Rhode Island has now risen over the past two weeks from almost 884 on Nov. 19 to 1,033 on Thursday, according to the COVID Tracking Project. The state Department of Health on Friday reported 1,326…

People flying into T.F. Green Airport in Warwick, Rhode Island, Thanksgiving weekend will have the opportunity to get a COVID-19 test shortly after landing, NBC affiliate WJAR reports. The voluntary, rapid tests were offered to anyone arriving at the airport in a roped area near the baggage claim. The free coronavirus tests will be performed by The National Guard...

Gov. Gina Raimondo on Wednesday urged Rhode Islanders to plan their Thanksgiving holidays ahead and to not travel in order to keep cases of the coronavirus down.

With the Thanksgiving holiday still a month away and cases of the novel coronavirus on the rise, Gov. Gina Raimondo is asking Rhode Island residents not to travel and to celebrate responsibly in smaller groups. During her Wednesday news conference, Raimondo said like all holidays this year, Thanksgiving will be different and residents need to adjust. “I know that’s...

Providence College hopes to resume in-person classes for all students on Oct. 12, the school’s president said. Before that, the week of Oct. 5 is focused on further extensive testing of the student body, the Rev. Kenneth Sicard said. He said students who left on-campus or off-campus residences during a stay-at-home period that started on Sept. 17 will be tested…

Providence College hopes to resume in-person classes for all students on Oct. 12, the school’s president said.