R.I. moves to contain coronavirus

PROVIDENCE — Five experts from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention arrived here on Wednesday and are now “embedded” inside the Rhode Island Department of Health as the state ratchets up efforts to prevent further spread of the coronavirus disease, COVID-19.

Among other actions announced at an hour-long media briefing Thursday by Gov. Gina Raimondo and Dr. Nicole Alexander-Scott, state health director, are plans to open test centers “not necessarily in traditional health-care environments,” a plea to schools and other groups not to take organized trips anywhere abroad, and a request that employers allow workers who are sick to stay home for “14 symptom-free days,” Raimondo said.

Also, anyone who has traveled in the last 14 days to China, South Korea, Iran, Italy, or Japan, which have high concentrations of infected people, is advised to self-quarantine for 14 days and contact their health-care provider.

And on Thursday, the Department of Administration circulated a memo to state employees stating that “effective immediately, the state is suspending all state-funded international travel. Requests for state-sponsored domestic travel will require additional review and approval by the applicable agency director.”

“Our number-one goal is containment,” Raimondo said to a room crowded with media members at the Department of Administration building.

Seeking to strike a balance between informing and alarming, the governor said the risk of becoming infected with the virus that has killed 11 people in Washington state, one in California and 3,348 globally, remains low in Rhode Island. To date, two Rhode Islanders on a Saint Raphael Academy field trip to Italy have tested positive, as has a third person on the trip who lives in Massachusetts. The three are said to be in good condition.

Raimondo and Alexander-Scott urged people who are sick in any way not to visit hospitals, nursing homes and similar settings. Children younger than 18 are also restricted from visiting staff or patients at health-care facilities.

People who are sick also are not to arrive unbidden at their primary-care physician’s office or other health-care provider. Rather, the governor said, first “call” your provider. “We want you to pick up the phone,” she said.

Based on what providers learn, decisions can be made about the next steps. An unpublicized hotline at the Department of Health has been established for providers to get guidance. Disease specialists will answer that hotline.

The governor and director also asked the general public with any concerns or questions to call a public hotline, (401) 222-8022. The hotline is manned around the clock and staffed by healthcare professionals equipped to address any concerns, including help such as getting food and other necessities for the approximately 200 residents who have been asked to self-quarantine.

Raimondo said she understands how such people can become “antsy,” but leaving their homes before their 14-day quarantine ends could endanger the public health. She said many health-care workers are concerned about potential exposure to coronavirus and have to go into quarantine if an infected person shows up at their office. That would reduce the state’s health-care workforce at a time when it is urgently needed.

Raimondo said that as of Thursday, “we have not recommended widespread canceling of public events” such as conferences, performances and athletic events. But she urged sponsors of such events to call the Health Department for ongoing guidance.

The governor noted that one large public event, the annual Hasbro Children’s Hospital Heroes Ball, scheduled for Saturday, has been postponed after consultation with the Department of Health. The reason, she said, was that hundreds of attendees would have been health-care workers – people she and Alexander-Scott said must be kept healthy.

Raimondo and Alexander-Scott discussed the two people in the state who have tested positive for coronavirus. A man in his 40s who tested positive remains hospitalized in stable condition, said Alexander-Scott. A teenage girl who tested positive has recovered and is doing well, Alexander-Scott said.

The state is still evaluating the number and locations of the planned new testing centers. They will not be open to the public, only to individuals who have been assessed as possibly having coronavirus disease. Health-care workers administering tests at the centers will wear special protection, and measures will be taken to protect individuals being tested.

The five-member CDC team is from the agency’s Epidemic Intelligence Service, according to the Department of Health, which “is a long-standing, globally recognized fellowship program, renowned for its investigative and emergency response efforts,” the department said. “This unique opportunity will help CDC understand the unique needs of Rhode Islander and bolster the state’s response efforts.” The Saint Raphael trip was the incident prompting the team to visit Rhode Island.

The Department of Health said that as of Thursday, 17 people have tested negative at the State Health Laboratories; another eight test results are pending. Test results require CDC confirmation. The department said the state has no shortage of test kits.

“This is a strong, coordinated effort,” Alexander-Scott said. “We will get through this.”

In addition to calling the (401) 222-8022 hotline, people can also email the Department of Health at a dedicated address: RIDOH. COVID19Questions@health.ri.gov

More on the disease and precautions people can take, at www.health.ri.gov/covid