[Summit] Gov. Raimondo's Weekend Messages, Video & Charts -- Schools, Testing, Ask Dr Fauci [Covid News no. 346]

David Kolsky davidjkolsky at yahoo.com
Mon Aug 10 11:29:39 UTC 2020 

 

   ----- Forwarded Message ----- From: Gina Raimondo <communications at governor.ri.gov>To:Sent: Thursday, August 6, 2020, 10:01:30 PM EDTSubject: School Edition: Putting Safety First
  
| Your RI COVID-19 News Update |
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| Hi David,
There’s a lot happening this week, and so I wanted to send you our weekly School Edition a day early. Tomorrow, I’ll have a special announcement about next week’s Facebook Live forum.
Earlier this week, we shared the specific community metrics that will guide our decision-making at the municipal level for getting kids back into the classroom this fall. It is so important to recognize that every town and city has a unique set of circumstances, and we need to be thoughtful and targeted in our reopening plans to meet the needs of every community. Based on the input of our advisory team of health experts, and based on extensive data analysis, we determined that municipalities must have a weekly case incidence rate of fewer than 100 new cases per 100,000 people in order to fully reopen their schools. In other words, if, in the previous week, a city or town had more than 1 new case for every 1,000 residents, then they’ll need to go with one of their more limited reopening options rather than bringing back every student.
We were excited to be joined today by Dr. Philip Chan and Dr. Len Mermel. Dr. Chan is an infectious disease specialist for Lifespan and the Consultant Medical Director of the Rhode Island Department of Health’s Division of Preparedness, Response, Infectious Disease, and EMS. Dr. Mermel is the Medical Director for the Department of Epidemiology and Infection Control at Rhode Island Hospital. They joined me and Commissioner Infante-Green on Facebook this afternoon to talk about the health precautions schools are taking and our increased testing capacity, both of which are critical to getting students back to the classroom safely this fall.  |

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| From our reopening metrics to the detailed plans districts have laid out, I hope Rhode Islanders realize how much time and consideration has gone into this planning process. I want every parent to trust that if, the week of August 16, we say it’s safe to go back to school in-person, it’s because the science and data say that it’s safe and because we’ve taken steps to significantly mitigate risk. But I believe that parents need to be empowered to make decisions that work best for their families. So I want to be very clear: we are not going to make any Rhode Island parent send their child back to school for in-person learning if they’re not comfortable doing so. The Department of Education is working with school districts to ensure they have plans in place to accommodate students who choose distance learning. I hope that this alleviates some anxiety for families during this incredibly stressful time.
We're all in this together,
-Gina RaimondoGovernor |

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| Click the graph to see check the Department of Health's COVID-19 data dashboard. |

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| P.S.: Information is our greatest weapon in the fight against COVID-19, If you or someone you know wants to sign up to receive these emails, you can use this link. |

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|  Governor's Office | 82 Smith Street, Providence, RI 02903  |
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| Dr. Anthony S. Fauci to Join Governor Gina Raimondo to Discuss Reopening Schools |

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| 3:00 p.m. on Thursday, August 13th, 2020 |

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| Hi David,
I'd like to share some exciting news with you.
Next Thursday at 3:00 p.m., Dr. Anthony S. Fauci, Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) at the National Institutes of Health, will join our weekly Facebook Live forum for a discussion about how to reopen our schools in a way that balances health and safety concerns with our children's need for a high-quality education. I’ve been so inspired by Dr. Fauci’s leadership during this crisis and during his long career in public service, and I’m looking forward to this robust and thoughtful conversation. I hope that you'll join us by watching on my Facebook page next Thursday.
In addition to watching this conversation, I also want to invite you to be a part of it. Watch this video to learn more: |

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| If you have a question you'd like me to ask Dr. Fauci, please respond to this email with it.
This is an exciting opportunity for Rhode Islanders to hear directly from one of our nation’s leading public health experts, and I hope you’ll tune in.
See you Thursday,
-Gina RaimondoGovernor
P.S.: Information is our greatest weapon in the fight against COVID-19, If you or someone you know wants to sign up to receive these emails, you can use this link. |

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| Governor's Office | 82 Smith Street, Providence, RI 02903 |
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Sat, Aug 8 at 7:01 PM
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| Hi David,
There's a lot going on these days, and it's easy to miss things. That's why I wanted to put together a quick recap for you of the new announcements from the past week.
If you know someone who wants to stay up-to-date on the latest measures Rhode Island is taking to stop the spread of COVID-19, send them this link: lp.constantcontactpages.com/su/eYMG9tf. The better we all stay informed, the better we'll be able to keep ourselves, our families, and our friends safe from COVID-19. |

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FASTER TESTING
After a competitive bidding process, Rhode Island has contracted with two labs – Accu Reference and Dominion Diagnostics – that are going to majorly expand our testing capacity and guarantee us results within an average of 48 hours. Starting next week, Accu Reference and Dominion will each run 1,000 Rhode Island tests per day – 2,000 in total. By next month, Dominion will increase their capacity to 7,000 tests per day. That will bring us up to 9,000 tests – including Accu Reference, Dominion, the State Health Lab and some other private labs – that are providing results in 48 hours or less.
We are also expanding our asymptomatic testing. If you are 18-39 years old or are planning to travel to a state that requires a COVID test in order to avoid extended quarantine, you can sign up for a test at portal.ri.gov. |

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SCHOOLS
Earlier this week, we shared the specific community metrics that will guide our decision-making at the municipal level for getting kids back into the classroom this fall. It is so important to recognize that every town and city has a unique set of circumstances, and we need to be thoughtful and targeted in our reopening plans to meet the needs of every community. Based on the input of our advisory team of health experts, and based on extensive data analysis, we determined that municipalities must have a weekly case incidence rate of fewer than 100 new cases per 100,000 people in order to fully reopen their schools. In other words, if, in the previous week, a city or town had more than 1 new case for every 1,000 residents, then they’ll need to go with one of their more limited reopening options rather than bringing back every student.
I want to be very clear: we are not going to make any Rhode Island parent send their child back to school for in-person learning if they’re not comfortable doing so. The Department of Education is working with school districts to ensure they have plans in place to accommodate students who choose distance learning. I hope that this alleviates some anxiety for families during this incredibly stressful time. |

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DR. FAUCI Next Thursday at 3:00 p.m., Dr. Anthony S. Fauci, Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) at the National Institutes of Health, will join our weekly Facebook Live forum for a discussion about how to reopen our schools in a way that balances health and safety concerns with our children's need for a high-quality education. I’ve been so inspired by Dr. Fauci’s leadership during this crisis and during his long career in public service, and I’m looking forward to this robust and thoughtful conversation. I hope that you'll join us by watching on my Facebook page next Thursday.
In addition to watching this conversation, I also want to invite you to be a part of it. If you have a question you'd like me to ask Dr. Fauci, please respond to this email with it. This is an exciting opportunity for Rhode Islanders to hear directly from one of our nation’s leading public health experts, and I hope you’ll tune in. |

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| I hope you find this recap helpful. It's so important that everyone stay engaged and informed so that we can all stay safe and healthy. I'll be back on TV with more updates this Wednesday at 1 p.m.
We're all in this together.
-Gina RaimondoGovernor
P.S.: Information is our greatest weapon in the fight against COVID-19, If you or someone you know wants to sign up to receive these emails, you can use this link. |

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| Governor's Office | 82 Smith Street, Providence, RI 02903 |

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