McKee Ends Masking in RI Starting Tuesday
Saturday, May 15, 2021
Governor Dan McKee announced that he is ending masking in RI.
He said his policy change is intended to align with the guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). McKee has previously ignored CDC guidance when he began re-opening the state after being sworn in.
To date, 2,700 Rhode Islanders have died from the coronavirus and RI ranks 2nd highest in the United States for cases per capita and continues to rank 4th in the country for deaths.
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLASTHospitalizations have now dropped to around 100 cases on a daily average.
McKee’s administration also announced that Rhode Island will be moving up its reopening timeline from May 28th to May 21st. Rhode Island recorded an additional 139 new cases on 11,000 tests. Tasting under McKee has been inconsistent.
On Thursday, the CDC announced that fully vaccinated people no longer need to wear a mask or physically distance in any setting, except where they are still required to do so by state officials, local officials, workplaces, or businesses. People are fully vaccinated two weeks after their second dose of Pfizer or Moderna vaccine, or two weeks after receiving a single dose of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine.
Vaccinated people who want to err on the side of caution can still wear masks when around other people. If you have a condition or take medications that weaken your immune system, talk to your healthcare provider about whether you should continue wearing your mask.
Who still has to wear a mask and practice social distancing?
- People who are not fully vaccinated. This includes children from 2 to 12 years of age. Children younger than 12 cannot be vaccinated.
- Both vaccinated and unvaccinated people in healthcare settings. Examples of healthcare settings include doctors’ offices, hospitals, and nursing homes.
- Both vaccinated and unvaccinated people traveling on public transportation (for example, planes, buses, trains, etc.).
- Both vaccinated and unvaccinated people in facilities that serve people experiencing homelessness, including residents and employees.
- Teachers, school administrators, and staff should continue to wear masks while in school, even if they are fully vaccinated.
- Both vaccinated and unvaccinated employees and customers of businesses that require masks.
Related Articles
- FDA Finds Johnson & Johnson Single Dose COVID Vaccine Safe and Effective
- State Cancels Vaccine Community Clinics - Blames Weather Distribution
- CVS Now Offering Vaccines in RI to K-12 Teachers, Daycare & Preschool Workers, and Staff
- We Can and Must Overcome Vaccine Hesitancy - Rob Horowitz
- 1,800 RI Vaccine Appointments Opening Up at 9 A.M. on Tuesday for Eligible Rhode Islanders
- Teachers and Communities of Color Need the Vaccine Now - Calabro
- RIPTA Drivers Seek Vaccine Priority, Say No Response From Raimondo for Two Months
- RI Ranks Among the Worst for Vaccine Utilization - GoLocal Daily RI Vaccination Update
- ACLU Filing Lawsuit Against RI Dept. of Health on Behalf of GoLocal Over CDC Vaccine Emails
- After Two Months of Hearings, House Vaccine Task Force Has Refused to Allow Public Testimony
- Vaccine Registration to Open to All Rhode Islanders 75+ Starting Thursday, 65+ on Monday
- McKee Moves Up Eligibility Date for 16 and Up for Vaccines, But Major RIDOH Problems Continue
- U.S. Poised to Approve 4th Coronavirus Vaccine - AstraZeneca
- European Union: Johnson & Johnson Vaccine’s Benefits Outweigh Issues
- FDA and CDC “Pause” Johnson & Johnson Vaccine
- 76% of COVID Cases in RI Now Due to Variants – and Vaccines Alone Might Not Protect Us
- Vaccine Reluctance – Dr. Ed Iannuccilli
- CVS & Walgreens Have Wasted Nearly 130,000 Vaccine Doses, According to Report
- Virus Variant Can Defeat Vaccine, RI Now 3rd Highest Infection Rate in U.S. - Landekic
- Vaccine Frustration—and No Easter Processions: LIVE From Bolzano, Italy
- U.S. Says AstraZeneca Has Submitted Outdated Data — J&J May Miss Vaccine Delivery Dates
- No Penalties for Letting Board Members Jump Vaccine Line: Inaction by Neronha Against CNE & Lifespan
- RI Expands Vaccine Eligibility to 50-Year-Olds Starting April 5, Will State’s Website Perform?
- COVID Vaccine “100%” Effective in Kids 12-15, Says Pfizer
- Vaccine Hesitancy Remains a Problem - Rob Horowitz
- Raimondo Makes Last Minute Appointment, Names New Head of COVID Response, McKee Not Informed
- House Passes $1.9 Trillion COVID Relief Package
- The Covid Relief Act Is the Beginning of the Progressive Era – Gary Sasse
- COVID Hits RI High School Hockey D-I Championship
- RI Identifies Multiple Cases of More Deadly and Contagious U.K. COVID-19 Variant
- COVID is Here to Stay - Nick Landekic
- Johnson & Johnson Says One-Shot Vaccine is 66% Effective Against Moderate to Severe COVID
- McKee Announces Transition COVID-19 Group Co-Chaired by CharterCARE Physician & Mayor Polisena
- COVID-19 in Rhode Island Is Worse Than You Think - Nick Landekic
- RI Business Group on Health Urges Employers to Join Crush COVID Challenge - LIVE
- McKee Announces Plan to Get COVID-19 Vaccinations to All RI Teachers, School Staff by End of Month
- Fit for Life: COVID Hit Us……Good!
- RI’s COVID-Related Hospitalizations Jump By 20, Testing Inconsistent
- RI Jumps to 2nd Most Infected State U.S., 78% of COVID Cases Tied to Variants
- “Defacing Postal Property is Illegal” - USPS Mailbox Tagged With Required RI COVID Testing Stickers
- 7 Things You Probably Didn’t Know About New COVID Variants in RI
- RI Dad Battles COVID As Daughter Gets Into Harvard - He Now Fights to Keep His Businesses Alive
- Federal Hill Restaurateur Battling “Severe COVID”—Fundraiser Nears $20,000
- RI Covid Cases Spiking: “If We are Serious About Our Economy Let’s Put This to Bed,” Says Fine
- COVID-19 Relief Bills Offer Dependent Care FSA Flexibility
- RI COVID Cases Continue to Climb, New Research Points to Devastating Long-Term Impacts to Infected
- Variant Fueling India’s COVID Catastrophe Is Now a Major Threat to RI - Landekic
- RI Lifts Some Coronavirus Restrictions as Contagious Variants Come to U.S.
- Highly Contagious South African Coronavirus Variant Found in South Carolina
- Shelter-in-Place Ordered for Salve Regina Community Following 30+ Coronavirus Cases in 7 Days
- New Coronavirus Mutation Is Both More Deadly and More Contagious - Nick Landekic
- Warwick, Central Falls Bars Hit With $1,700 in Coronavirus Citations
- First Case of Brazilian Strain of Coronavirus Detected in U.S.
- New Asymptomatic Coronavirus Testing Site to Open in Warwick
- McKee on RI’s Projected Half-Billion Dollar Budget Deficit, Coronavirus Response, Marijuana
- More Than 2,000 Rhode Islanders Have Now Died From Coronavirus
- RI Doctor Found to Have Recklessly Exposed Patients, Staff to Coronavirus - Has License Suspended
- MA Dept. of Public Health Announces First Case of More Contagious UK Strain of Coronavirus
- UPDATED: PC Announces New Coronavirus Restrictions As Cases Increase
- RI Reports 90 New Coronavirus Deaths — Raising Questions About RIDOH Data
- McKee Rolls Back More Restrictions As Coronavirus Cases Continue to Increase
- RI Now 2nd Highest in U.S. for Coronavirus Cases Per 100K, Worries Growing About NY Strain
- Biden is Threading a Needle and Walking a Fine Line With Coronavirus: UVA’s Lawless LIVE
- Rhode Island on Verge of Third Coronavirus Wave
- It’s Clear It’s Still Dangerous: Italy’s Coronavirus Cases Nearly Double in Last Month
- McKee Announces Rollback of More Coronavirus Restrictions, Dr. Fine Warns It Is Too Early
- RI Jumps to 3rd Highest Coronavirus Death Rate Per Capita, 50% Higher Than U.S. Average
- Groundbreaking Nanotech by RI Company Neutralizes 100% of Coronavirus in Under 1 Minute, Finds Brown
- McKee Finds Rhode Island at Crossroads in Battle Against Coronavirus
- RI’s Coronavirus Reality and Raimondo’s National PR — How RI Lost the War — A GoLocal Film
- Why This Coronavirus Increase Is Different As Variants Pull Ahead - Landekic