South Kingstown is warning University of Rhode Island students that off-campus parties that violate state restrictions on large gatherings intended to slow the spread of the coronavirus will not be tolerated.
Town Manager Robert Zarnetske has issued an executive order that imposes a $500 fine for anyone who hosts an off-campus party or gathering, WPRI-TV reports. The order takes effect Wednesday.
Anyone who attends the party could face a $250 fine, while landlords and parents could also be held liable if they cosigned the lease.
“We want to get ahead of any issues with off-campus parties by URI students returning for the fall semester and reiterate the expectations as good community citizens,” Zarnetske said. “If you’re underage and you’re drinking at an off-campus party, you can expect to be arrested, criminally charged and fined. We’re not messing around when it comes to the public health of the community.”
URI, in an update to its student handbook, said all students are required to follow government regulations pertaining to the pandemic.
Students have already started moving into campus dorms.
Parties and large gatherings have been blamed for coronavirus outbreaks at other colleges around the country.
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BACHELORETTE PARTY CLUSTER
A cluster of COVID-19 cases in Massachusetts has been traced to a bachelorette party in Rhode Island late last month.
Health officials in both states said 19 guests who attended the late July gathering at an undisclosed location were sickened. Seventeen were from Massachusetts and two were from Rhode Island. Contact tracing was done on all positive cases.
Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker referred to the event at a news conference Tuesday as he discussed the importance of face coverings, social distancing and proper hygiene.
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SCHOOL REOPENING PLANS
Eight Rhode Island school superintendents have written Gov. Gina Raimondo to say classes in their districts will be held remotely when school restarts next month because they don’t have enough time to properly make required coronavirus-prevention safety measures to allow for in-person lessons.
The letter was signed by the superintendents in Coventry, Cranston, Johnston, Lincoln, Pawtucket, West Warwick, Warwick and Woonsocket, The Providence Journal reported Wednesday.
“We miss our students and want a safe return to school for everyone,” they wrote. “Our top priority is bringing back students and staff in an environment that is safe, inviting, and nurturing for all. However, it has become clear over the last number of weeks that we may not be able to open schools in a way that keeps all our students, families, staff, and community members safe.”
The superintendents said they couldn’t meet the five standards set by the Democratic governor to ensure a safe reopening, including an adequate supply of cleaning supplies and protective equipment; adequate staffing; and enough buses.
Raimondo has said she wants children back in the classroom on Sept. 14.
An email seeking comment was sent to a Raimondo spokesperson.
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UPDATED STATISTICS
The Rhode Island Department of Health on Wednesday reported 68 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 and attributed two more deaths to the disease.
There have now been more than 21,450 known cases of the disease in the state and 1,041 fatalities.
The number of residents in the hospital with the coronavirus fell to 80 as of Monday, the latest day for which the information was available, down from 86 the prior day. The number of patients in intensive care was 11.
The seve-day rolling average of the positivity rate in Rhode Island has declined over the past two weeks, going from 2.45% on Aug. 11 to 1.57% as of Tuesday, according to the Johns Hopkins University Center for Systems Science and Engineering.
The 7-day rolling average of daily new cases in Rhode Island has risen over the past two weeks from about 95 on Aug. 11 to 97 on Tuesday, Johns Hopkins said.
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