Coronavirus: Barrington Cancels Peck Library Events For 2 Weeks

BARRINGTON, RI — Barrington town officials announced on Thursday that as 1 p.m. Thursday afternoon all Peck Center for Adult Enrichment programs held at the Barrington Public Library will be closed for the next two weeks. The decision was made "out of an abundance of caution" amid the spread of the coronavirus.

The shut down will be revisited in two weeks based on the events at the time. (EDITOR'S NOTE: This is a clarification of a previous post.)

The Barrington Public Library is postponing Thursday's author event with Elizabeth Rush that was scheduled for 6:30 p.m., including the livestream. A new date has not been set, but will be announced later this year.

Officials are also encouraging residents to cast mail-in ballots for the April 28 presidential primary. March 29 is the final day to register to vote in the election and March 30 is the last day to chance party affiliation.

The Rhode Island Board of Elections is coordinating with the Rhode Island Department of Health to ensure polling place readiness and encourages voters to cast mail ballots. Mail ballot applications must be received by your local Town Clerk's office not later than 4 p.m, on
April 7.

Barrington Schools also announced that after consulting with the most recent guidelines provided by the state concerning best practices around preventing the spread of COVID-19, they are postponing the Barrington Middle School Art's Alive play scheduled for Saturday.

The RI Department of Health and RI Department of Education Wednesday night recommended the cancellation or postponing of events that include 250 or more visitors to the schools for at least the next two weeks, and cancellation or postponing of events that require the proximity of visitors to the schools for at least the next two weeks.

(More on the coronavirus can be found in this fact sheet from the CDC.)

Coronaviruses are a family of viruses that include the common cold as well as much more serious diseases. The strain that emerged in China in late 2019, now called COVID-19, is related to others that have caused serious outbreaks in recent years, including severe acute respiratory syndromes (SARS) and Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS). The first confirmed case of COVID-19 in the U.S. was on Jan. 21.

The disease, which apparently originated in animals, is now transferring from person to person, although the mechanism is not yet fully understood. Its symptoms include fever, coughing and shortness of breath, and many patients develop pneumonia. There is as yet no vaccine against COVID-19 it and no antiviral treatment.

According to the CDC, the best way of preventing the disease is to avoid close contact with people who are sick, to avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands, to wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, and to use a hand sanitizer that contains at least 60% alcohol if soap and water are not available. To avoid spreading any respiratory illness, the CDC recommends staying at home when you are sick, covering your cough or sneeze with a tissue and throwing the tissue in the trash, cleaning and disinfecting frequently touched
objects and surfaces.

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