RI Gov. McKee Won't 'Pull The Alarm' Amid COVID-19 Case Increases

PROVIDENCE, RI — Coronavirus cases nearly doubled in Rhode Island over the last week, and the CDC designated Rhode Island with its highest transmission level. But for now, Gov. Dan McKee said there's no reason to reimplement a mask mandate or enact any other business or school restrictions.

McKee said the state's near nation-leading vaccination rate and low death rate have kept Rhode Island from entering another pandemic crisis. He said Tuesday that 72.5 percent of residents 18 and older are fully vaccinated, and there's been just one death over the last two weeks. McKee also said hospitalizations have remained steady since the delta variant spread into the Ocean State.

"We have addressed this issue and unless that changes drastically, we don't have to pull the alarm," McKee said.

McKee cautioned this doesn't mean Rhode Island is out of the woods for taking another step back. Emergency orders will be reenacted if the governor and other state officials think they're necessary. To keep that from happening, McKee said the vaccination rate has to continue to increase, as about 205,000 Rhode Islanders remain unvaccinated.

Increasing the vaccination rate means state officials need to keep focusing on creating more opportunities and finding new ways to encourage people to get the shot, McKee said. The governor said "vaccine days of action" are ongoing in areas with lower vaccination rates. Those include clinics in West Warwick Tuesday, as well as more in Woonsocket and parts of Newport. He also said there will be a day of action in Buckland Park in Providence later this week.

"There was a time when our supply didn’t meet the demand," McKee said. "It's reversed now. There's no excuse for not getting vaccinated because of supply."

McKee also thanked the state universities for requiring COVID-19 vaccines before students return to campus this fall, but stopped short when asked by reporters if businesses should do the same.

"All the businesses can determine how they want to move forward, just like the universities did," McKee said.

Read more:

• Rhode Island's Coronavirus Cases Double, Positivity Rate Climbs
• COVID-19 Transmission 'High' In Rhode Island: CDC
• Should Fully Vaccinated Rhode Islanders Wear A Mask? Probably.
• Mask Mandates 'Strongly Recommended' In RI Schools This Fall
• Lifespan, Care New England To Require Staff COVID-19 Vaccines
• RI Leaders To Review New CDC Mask Guidance, No Change For Now