[Summit] Governor's messages, charts & videos this week: Virus Testing, Enjoying the Fall, Ventilating Schools, Educ'l Operations Center [Covid News no. 375]

Fri Sep 25 03:45:16 UTC 2020

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| Hi David,
Last week was a big week for Rhode Island. After months of hard work, schools across the state opened their doors to students, teachers and staff. It was an all-hands-on-deck effort, and I’m grateful to everyone involved. And because of the systems we’ve put in place for testing, contact tracing and more, I’m confident we will be able to stay ahead of the virus and contain cases in schools while limiting the disruption in learning.
One of those systems is the first-of-its-kind Education Operations Center, or “EdOC.” This command center is a coordinated effort across state agencies, including the Department of Education, Department of Health, and Emergency Management Agency, relying on the operational expertise of the Rhode Island National Guard. The EdOC is the nerve center of our school reopening effort. Every day, the EdOC is providing real-time support to our schools with the highest degree of professionalism and operational proficiency. |

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| I had the opportunity to visit the EdOC for myself last Friday to learn about how they operate and what steps they're taking to keep school communities safe. What I saw was an operation with an unparalleled ability to rapidly respond to the threat of COVID-19 by visiting schools, providing technical assistance, and disseminating key public health information. Already, the EdOC has received nearly 200 calls seeking information, clarification on guidance for schools, questions about probable cases and more. And we’ve deployed more than a dozen assistance teams to help with everything from containing positive cases, to reviewing mitigation measures, to operational check-ins with school leaders. These teams have also set up virtual health and safety trainings for teachers, nurses and other school staff. 
This school year will be unlike any other, and I’m so grateful that we have the expertise of the Rhode Island National Guard to help get us through these unprecedented times. Our work is only just beginning; there will surely be new challenges to overcome in the weeks and months ahead. I am confident, however, that our team at the EdOC will continue to be a critical ingredient in making this school year a success.
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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| Click the graph to see check the Department of Health's COVID-19 data dashboard. |

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

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| Hi David,
Happy fall! Even as the weather changes, we can still take it outside. Nothing is more quintessentially New England than our fall traditions like apple picking, pumpkin carving, and checking out our beautiful foliage. This year it's going to be more important than ever that we find ways to have fun outdoors so that we can stop the spread of COVID-19.
I made a quick video to talk about some of the ways my family and I like to enjoy the fall outdoors. |

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| And don't forget: you have more access to outdoor space this fall than ever before through the Take It Outside campaign. You can reserve space at one of Rhode Island’s beautiful state parks that are taking part in the initiative, or visit your town or city's website to learn about how they're opening up their outdoor spaces for reservation. We're also setting aside $1 million in federal funds for things like heat lamps, tents, and more to make it easier to do business outside this fall. We've already received applications from more than 80 municipalities and community organizations.
This fall, I want us to make a statewide push to Take It Outside — so show me your favorite way to have fall fun outdoors! Take a picture of you and your family Taking It Outside and share it with me by email, on Twitter, or on Instagram using the hashtag #TakeItOutsideRI. I'll share a few of my favorites later through this email and on social media!
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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Click the graph to see check the Department of Health's COVID-19 data dashboard.

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| Hi David,
Our aggressive testing strategy is picking up speed — yesterday we preformed more than 8,200 tests. Since the start of the pandemic, we've performed over 700,000 tests. That's a lot of data. Every day, I send you the latest data dashboard from the Rhode Island Department of Health. Today's looks a little different than it has in the past. We're adding new features to the dashboard going forward.
I want to discuss some of the additions, what they mean, and how this will make it easier to understand the trends we're seeing. |

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

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You’ll notice that the numbers we've been tracking the past few months — the number of tests, positive cases, hospitalizations, etc. — are still on the left side of the screen. But as we head into our seventh month fighting this virus, I also think it’s important to be able to quickly and easily see the trends over time. Since the beginning, I’ve made it my goal to always share where we were, where we are, and where we’re going. This new data dashboard helps us better visualize those trends.
In the updated dashboard, you’ll see graphs showing three weekly metrics over the past 8 weeks. At the top is the average percent positive rate, in the middle is new hospitalizations, and at the bottom is new cases per 100,000 residents. Every Tuesday, these three graphs will be updated to display the previous week’s data.
You’ll also notice a red line on each of the three graphs. This line represents the threshold above which we need to consider imposing new restrictions. To be clear, this does not mean we will only impose new restrictions if we are above that threshold. As we’ve done all along, we’re taking a targeted and data-driven approach based on the trends we’re seeing, and if we need to tighten restrictions in one particular area, we’ll do that. But these red lines give us a sense of when we might need to consider across-the-board restrictions once again, including the possibility of moving back a phase.
Finally, in the right column, you’ll see trend arrows comparing each of those three data points to the previous week. These new arrows will make it easier to tell at a glance where our state is doing well and where we need to improve.
Throughout this pandemic, we’ve always worked to go above and beyond with our data. Transparency is critical; the more we know about what’s happening with the virus, the better we can stay ahead of it. I’m proud that the COVID Tracking Project gives Rhode Island an A+ for our data quality, and we’re always looking for ways to report more data in a way that’s clear and actionable. I hope that today's update to the data dashboard makes it easier for you to see exactly what's going on in our state.
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.

   ----- Forwarded Message ----- From: Gina Raimondo <communications at governor.ri.gov>To:Sent: Thursday, September 24, 2020, 6:18:19 PM EDTSubject: clearing the air

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| Hi David,
Over the last few months, state and school leaders have worked 24/7 to safely reopen our schools. That work would not have been possible without the input of public health experts, from pediatricians to epidemiologists and more. Throughout this crisis, we’ve relied on the data, and we’ve put our trust in scientists to guide our decisions. I know there have been a lot of questions about what schools can do to provide sufficient air circulation in classrooms. Today, I want you to hear directly from Dr. Erin Bromage, one of the scientists we consulted on school reopening, and Dr. Jim McDonald from the Rhode Island Department of Health about simple steps schools can take to improve airflow and keep students and staff safe from COVID-19. |

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| Based on the expertise of Dr. Bromage and others that we consulted, as well as a recent report from Harvard’s School of Public Health, we have put together a useful webpage with data on the effectiveness of every different approach to address airflow, from opening windows, to box fans, to HEPA filters. These experts looked at data of what’s called “air changes per hour” – or how often air is circulated in and out of a certain room – to determine how best to address COVID-19 in indoor settings.
The science indicates that, given the size of a typical classroom, you want to see at least four air changes per hour. They found that opening a single window just six inches provides 5 air changes per hour or more, and adding a box fan to that window increases that number to over 12. In fact, this was one of the most effective approaches there is. We’ve also added a tool on the webpage in which you can input the size of the room and calculate the effectiveness of a given approach in each situation.
For those of you who are interested in what the data and science says about airflow, please visit health.ri.gov/airflow to learn more.
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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| Click the graph to see check the Department of Health's COVID-19 data dashboard. |

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