The vaccine deployment in December 2020 signaled a turning point in the COVID-19 pandemic. By the end of May 2021, 40% of the U.S. population was fully vaccinated. But as vaccination rates lagged over the summer, new surges of COVID-19 came, including Delta in the summer of 2021, and now the Omicron variant, which comprises […]
Coronavirus Disease
Posted inCOVID-19
Counties with highest COVID-19 infection rates in Vermont
The vaccine deployment in December 2020 signaled a turning point in the COVID-19 pandemic. By the end of May 2021, 40% of the U.S. population was fully vaccinated. But as vaccination rates lagged over the summer, new surges of COVID-19 came, including Delta in the summer of 2021, and now the Omicron variant, which comprises […]
Posted inCOVID-19
Counties with highest COVID-19 infection rates in Rhode Island
The vaccine deployment in December 2020 signaled a turning point in the COVID-19 pandemic. By the end of May 2021, 40% of the U.S. population was fully vaccinated. But as vaccination rates lagged over the summer, new surges of COVID-19 came, including Delta in the summer of 2021, and now the Omicron variant, which comprises […]
Posted inNews
Pop-up picnic businesses prove they have staying power
These three female-owned businesses are proving they’re much more than a pandemic trend.
Posted inCOVID-19
History of vaccine mandates in the US
United States Department of Health Education and Welfare/PhotoQuest // Getty Images History of vaccine mandates in the US On Jan. 13, 2022, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration issued a COVID-19 vaccine mandate imposing a vaccine-or-test rule for workers in companies exceeding 100 employees to combat the spread of the coronavirus as the nation continues to grapple […]
Posted inCOVID-19
Counties with the highest COVID-19 vaccination rate in Rhode Island
The vaccine deployment in December 2020 signaled a turning point in the COVID-19 pandemic. By the end of May 2021, 40% of the U.S. population was fully vaccinated. But as vaccination rates lagged over the summer, new surges of COVID-19 came, including Delta in the summer of 2021, and now the Omicron variant, which comprises […]
Posted inCOVID-19, News
Boston urges masks as battle brews over transit rule
By HEATHER HOLLINGSWORTH and LINDSAY WHITEHURST Associated Press Boston urged people to start wearing masks Thursday and the Biden administration weighed its next legal step in what is shaping up to be a high-stakes court fight over the abrupt end of the national mask mandate on airplanes and mass transit. The Boston Public Health Commission […]
Posted inCOVID-19
Counties with highest COVID-19 infection rates in Rhode Island
The vaccine deployment in December 2020 signaled a turning point in the COVID-19 pandemic. By the end of May 2021, 40% of the U.S. population was fully vaccinated. But as vaccination rates lagged over the summer, new surges of COVID-19 came, including Delta in the summer of 2021, and now the Omicron variant, which comprises […]
Posted inCity & Government
Rhode Island is the 6th Safest State during COVID-19 – WalletHub Study
With around 66% of the population fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and new cases on a general downward trend since the start of the year, WalletHub today released updated rankings for the Safest States During COVID-19. In order to find out the safest states during the COVID-19 pandemic, WalletHub compared the 50 states and the District of […]
Posted inCOVID-19
Counties with the highest COVID-19 vaccination rate in Rhode Island
The vaccine deployment in December 2020 signaled a turning point in the COVID-19 pandemic. By the end of May 2021, 40% of the U.S. population was fully vaccinated. But as vaccination rates lagged over the summer, new surges of COVID-19 came, including Delta in the summer of 2021, and now the Omicron variant, which comprises […]
Posted inCOVID-19
It’s not over: COVID-19 cases are on the rise again in US
Yet again, the U.S. is trudging into what could be another COVID-19 surge, with cases rising nationally and in most states after a two-month decline. One big unknown? “We don’t know how high that mountain’s gonna grow,” said Dr. Stuart Campbell Ray, an infectious disease expert at Johns Hopkins University. No one expects a peak […]
Posted inCOVID-19
Counties with the highest COVID-19 vaccination rate in Rhode Island
The vaccine deployment in December 2020 signaled a turning point in the COVID-19 pandemic. By the end of May 2021, 40% of the U.S. population was fully vaccinated. But as vaccination rates lagged over the summer, new surges of COVID-19 came, including Delta in the summer of 2021, and now the Omicron variant, which comprises […]
Posted inNews
11 bills introduced to help address Rhode Island’s housing crisis
House Speaker K. Joseph Shekarchi and Rep. June S. Speakman, chairwoman of the Special Legislative Commission to Study the Rhode Island Low and Moderate Income Housing Act, today announced a package of 11 bills to help address the state’s housing crisis. According to a press release from the Rhode Island General Assembly, the bills aim to streamline […]
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Masks will be optional at Newport Public Schools
On Thursday evening, the Newport School Committee voted 7-0 to make masking optional in Newport Public Schools and on school buses. This policy will go into effect today after the Governor’s executive order ends at 5:00 pm. The amended policy is located here. While the Newport Public Schools policy is now optional masking, Newport Public Schools encourages everyone […]
Posted inCity & Government
Governor McKee, RIDOH update quarantine recommendations for DHS-licensed early learning programs
As the state continues to implement an endemic COVID-19 management strategy, Governor Dan McKee, the Rhode Island Department of Health (RIDOH), and the Rhode Island Department of Human Services (DHS) today announced updated quarantine recommendations for DHS-licensed early learning programs. More from Governor McKee’s Office; These updates incorporate the latest COVID-19 community levels of risk […]
Posted inCOVID-19
Governor McKee to host COVID-19 briefing on Friday, will be focused on updated guidance from the CDC
Governor Dan McKee and the Rhode Island Department of Health will host a COVID-19 briefing on Friday at 10:30 am at the State House. According to Governor McKee’s office, this briefing will be focused on updated guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Rhode Island Department of Health Consultant Medical Director Philip Chan, Senior […]
Posted inCOVID-19
Salve Regina University: Masks now optional inside Salve Regina buildings
Salve Regina University today announced that beginning at 8 am today masks will be optional inside their buildings. Here’s the full email announcement from Salve Regina University; “Dear Salve Regina community,Throughout the course of this pandemic, our campus policies and operations have been carefully aligned with the latest CDC guidelines and recommendations. Late last week, […]
Posted inCOVID-19, News
CCRI updates COVID-19 policies, procedures
The Community College of Rhode Island (CCRI) today announced that they will be making changes to their COVID-19 policies in the weeks ahead. In a letter to students and faculty, Alix Ogden, Vice President, Administration and External Affairs at CCRI wrote; “I know we are all watching in hopeful anticipation as the COVID-19 trends statewide […]
Posted inCOVID-19
RIDOH provides updates on the State’s vaccination and testing sites
The Rhode Island Department of Health (RIDOH) provided the following COVID-19 testing and vaccination updates on Friday. As part of Rhode Island’s, comprehensive plan to transition the management of COVID-19 from a pandemic into an endemic strategy focused on more traditional models of prevention, treatment, and healthcare delivery, updates to the State’s vaccination and testing […]
Posted inCOVID-19, News
Newport Schools expected to follow state lead and end mandatory masking in schools
Newport schools are expected to follow the state’s lead and end mandatory masking for kids in school, according to School Superintendent Colleen Burns Jermain. The state’s mandate ends on March 4, and when the Newport School Committee meets next week, Jermain said she anticipates it too will vote to end mandatory masking but give the […]
Posted inCity & Government, COVID-19, News
Governor McKee, RIDOH to host COVID-19 briefing on Wednesday
Governor Dan McKee, Rhode Island Department of Health Interim Director Dr. James McDonald, and Rhode Island Department of Education Commissioner Angélica Infante-Green will host a COVID-19 briefing on Wednesday at 11 am to provide an update on the State’s booster and K-12 vaccination efforts. According to Governor McKee’s office, the following individuals will be present for the briefing; Governor Dan McKeeLt. Governor […]
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What are taxpayers spending for those ‘Free’ Covid Tests? The government won’t say
Christine Spolar February 11, 2022 The four free covid-19 rapid tests President Joe Biden promised in December for every American household have begun arriving in earnest in mailboxes and on doorsteps. A surge of covid infections spurred wide demand for over-the-counter antigen tests during the holidays: Clinics were overwhelmed with people seeking tests and the […]
Posted inCity & Government
City of Newport offering free rapid COVID-19 test kits to community groups
As part of its effort to combat the spread of COVID-19, the City of Newport announced on Wednesday that they will be offering free at-home rapid test kits to any and all local non-profit and neighborhood groups interested in providing at-home kits to the community. From churches and social service providers to neighborhood associations and […]
Posted inCOVID-19
Pandemic-related school closings likely to have far-reaching effects on child well-being
Sandra M. Chafouleas, University of Connecticut A global analysis has found that kids whose schools closed to stop the spread of various waves of the coronavirus lost educational progress and are at increased risk of dropping out of school. As a result, the study says, they will earn less money from work over their lifetimes […]
Posted inCity & Government
Statewide School Mask Mandate to be lifted on March 4, Indoor Masking Mandate will lift on Feb. 11
Governor Dan McKee and Rhode Island Department of Health Interim Director Dr. Jim McDonald hosted a COVID-19 briefing at 1:30 pm on Wednesday to provide an update on the State’s masking policies. McKee announced that he will let his executive order regarding indoor vax/mask mandates expire on Friday across Rhode Island. The order requiring students and staff to wear […]