'This Is A Critical Time': COVID-19 Cases Soar In Rhode Island

PROVIDENCE, RI — The holiday season is well underway in Rhode Island, and while it's the season of gathering and celebration, it's important to remember that the coronavirus pandemic is still a major concern.

"It's clear that COVID-19 is still very much with us," said Dr. Nicole Alexander-Scott, the director of the Rhode Island Department of Health.

Rhode Island has experienced "significant increases" in coronavirus cases and positivity rate over the past weeks, Alexander-Scott said. Hospitalizations have risen, as well.

Over the past week, the percent positivity rate rose to 4.9 percent, up more than a whole percentage point from the week before.

Case number climbed from 306 per 100,000 people to 317, while hospitalizations rose by 21 to 127.

This time last year, the state was in its darkest days of the pandemic. The last week of November, hospitals reached capacity, and then-Gov. Gina Raimondo announced a statewide "pause" to curb the spread of the virus in the state.

This year, Alexander-Scott said that it is ok to celebrate the holidays with family and friends, thought it's important to continue to follow coronavirus safety measures, named getting vaccinated and wearing a high-quality mask when indoors, especially in crowded settings.

"Vaccination is our very best tool," Alexander-Scott said. "This is a critical time."

McKee encouraged Rhode Islanders to wear masks, though he stopped short of issuing any direction guidance. While masks are still required in schools, there is currently no indoor mask requirement in Rhode Island. Currently, only about 20 percent of Rhode Islanders said they wear a mask indoors, McKee said.