NEW: 19 Coronavirus Cases Reported at RI Schools in First Two Days
Wednesday, September 16, 2020
Rhode Island Governor Gina Raimondo announced on Wednesday that two days into the school year, 19 cases of COVID-19 associated with K-12 education in the state were recorded.
“By in large we’re having a great week — I spent most of Monday visiting a bunch of schools,” said Raimondo, at her weekly press conference.
WATCH VIDEO: See Raimondo Press Conference HERE
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLAST“100,000 [students] chose in-person learning — most schools stepped up and delivered,” said Raimondo. “The doors of most schools were open, and that was a great thing.”
“You’re on the right side of right getting these kids back to school,” Raimondo told Rhode Islanders.
Cases
Raimondo announced Wednesday that at the dedicated K-12 testing sites in the state, there were eight positive cases out of 300 swabs over the last two days.
“There were another 11 positive cases associated — for a total of 19 — but those weren’t in our 14 dedicated K-12 sites,, which is fine,” said Raimondo. “Again, if you’re in K-12, it would be better if you could call for the same-day test.”
“Those individuals were contacted the same day, isolated immediately, and close contacts quarantined,” said Raimondo. “We’re off to a very good start. The rapid response is key to keeping a lid on the virus. We will continue to see cases in school — I’m confident we have the systems in place to handle it.”
Raimondo said the goal is to keep schools open moving forward.
“We want to get to a place where we get a lid on the virus, and school continues,” she said. “We have a robust and sturdy system.”
