Fauci Greenlights Reopening RI Schools

PROVIDENCE, RI — One of the country's top epidemiological experts voiced his support for reopening Rhode Island schools for in-person learning in September.

Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases at the National Institutes of Health, met with Gov. Gina Raimondo in a livestreamed discussion Thursday, addressing concerns and questions ahead of the first day of school Sept. 14.

"You should be able to open safely and clearly," Fauci told Raimondo, saying Rhode Island is "well into the green zone," meaning coronavirus infection rate is low. "Are you starting from a good place? The answer is, unequivocally, yes."

To help minimize the spread of the coronavirus in schools, it's important that students and teachers follow safety protocols, including mask-wearing whenever indoors, maintaining social distancing as much as possible, avoiding crowding, having meals and classes outside if and when possible and having good ventilation, such as keeping windows open to allow for air exchange, Fauci said.

"As much outdoors as you possibly can," he emphasized.

Wearing masks indoors will greatly decrease the chance of the virus spreading, Fauci said, especially for those who are asymptomatic. This applies to all indoors settings, he said, including buses. Ideally, windows would be open in that situation for airflow.

While some teachers and students might have reservations about going back to school, Fauci said it's important to get back to a semblance of pre-pandemic life.

"You can't interrupt life indefinitely," he said. "Everyone can help teachers and kids by doing everything they can to stay [in the] green [zone]."

Fauci ended the conversation by thanking Raimondo for her leadership, encouraging Rhode Islanders to follow public health advice and reminding them that better days are ahead.

"You've all done a real good job, keep it up," he said. "This will end. We will get out of this, we will get out of it together."