Rhode Island has launched a new website that allows residents to check whether they are at risk of getting or may have contracted the coronavirus, Gov. Gina Raimondo said Wednesday.
The site, covidselfcheck.ri.gov, launched by the state Department of Health in conjunction with Diagnostic Robotics, asks residents about their symptoms, their possible exposure and other risk factors - in English, Spanish or Portuguese - and recommends whether they should see a health care professional.
“It’s not a substitute for consulting a doctor, but a guide to help you figure out if you should do that,” the Democrat said at her daily news briefing.
The site also uses predictive technology to recognize possible outbreaks before they occur.
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PARK AND BEACH REOPENING
In honor of Earth Day on Wednesday, Raimondo said reopening state parks and beaches closed to the public since April 3 to curb the spread of the disease would be a priority when lifting social distancing restrictions.
Raimondo said she has asked state Department of Environmental Management Director Janet Coit to come up with a plan to gradually reopen parks and beaches sometime after the current stay-at-home order ends on May 8.
Raimondo also urged businesses to start thinking about ways to accommodate workers over the age of 60 - considered the most at risk of serious illness and death due to the coronavrius - once the economy restarts.
That could include allowing them to continue to work from home, extra sick time, extra time off, or workplace safety measures, she said.
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BY THE NUMBERS
Another 365 people in the state have tested positive for the coronavirus and 10 more people have died, the Rhode Island Department of Health reported Wednesday.
The state’s death toll from COVID-19, the disease caused by the virus, is now 181, according to department figures, while more than 5,800 people have tested positive.
Eight of the 10 new deaths involved people who lived in nursing homes, and seven were in their 80s or older, including one centenarian, state Department of Health Director Nicole Alexander-Scott said at a news conference.
The virus causes mild or moderate symptoms for most people but more severe illness for some, particularly older adults and people with existing health problems.
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LEGISLATIVE STIRRINGS
The Rhode Island legislature has created a 10-member task force to examine the state’s pandemic spending and begin the annual budget process.
The Emergency Spending Task Force is scheduled to meet for the first time April 30 to review tens of millions of dollars the state has committed so far to combat COVID-19, the General Assembly said in a news release Tuesday.
The review will cover contracts to set up field hospitals, buy medical supplies and purchase personal protective equipment for health workers, among other things.
The General Assembly suspended sessions and hearings last month in response to the pandemic.
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NEW TESTING SITE
Two Rhode Island cities hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic are getting additional testing capacity.
A testing site is scheduled to open Thursday at the now-closed Memorial Hospital property in Pawtucket, according to a statement from the adjacent cities of Pawtucket and Central Falls.
The site will be operated by Care New England.
Services at the site will be provided in English, Spanish, Portuguese, Creole and other languages.
There have been 540 confirmed COVID-19 cases in Pawtucket, according to figures released Wednesday by the state Department of Health, the second highest total in the state. There have been more than 200 cases in Central Falls.
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DETENTION FACILITY CASE
A Rhode Island detention facility that houses many people in federal custody has reported its first case of COVID-19.
The Donald W. Wyatt Detention Facility in Central Falls posted on its website Tuesday that the detainee has been isolated.
All places within the facility the detainee was in are being sanitized, and other detainees and staff are being screened for the disease.
The state branch of the American Civil Liberties Union sued the facility seeking the release of several detainees it says have preexisting health conditions that put them at higher risk of serious illness or death from the coronavirus.
The 770-bed facility is a nonprofit prison run by a quasi-public corporation. Many detainees are in the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service or Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
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