School Coronavirus Testing In Rhode Island: What To Know

PROVIDENCE, RI — There has been some confusion surrounding the state's special coronavirus testing system for schools, Gov. Gina Raimondo said. From how to get test results to how long to quarantine, here's what to know about testing related to schools.

Since school started two and a half weeks ago, about 4,000 tests have been conducted through the school system. The sites are operating well under capacity, said Dr. Nicole Alexander-Scott, the director of the Rhode Island Department of Heath, and have the ability to handle up to 5,000 per day. For this reason, anyone who has any doubt about feeling unwell should call the number to get tested. Of the 4,000 tests, there have been 60 positive cases identified through the school system, as well as 100 school-related cases confirmed through the general testing system.

To schedule a test through the school system, call 844-857-1814 between 7:30 a.m. and 9:30 p.m., seven days a week. There are 14 testing sites statewide. A test will be scheduled for the same day. Those with symptoms will receive both a rapid test and a traditional test, which takes several days. The rapid test results will not immediately be returned, but will be available later that day. Those who are tested after about 3 p.m. will likely get their rapid test result early the next morning. Those who do not have symptoms will only receive one test, since rapid tests are less effective in asymptomatic people.

Anyone who tests positive will receive a call from the Rhode Island Department of Health, which will offer instructions for quarantining and begin the case investigation. Negative test results will be emailed within two to three days. If several days have passed and you have not yet received a test result, check your email's spam folder. If there is an issue and the test result has not been sent, at that point, call the testing hotline.

Too many people have been calling the hotline the day after their test looking for their test results, which overwhelms the line and causes long wait times for callers. Rhode Islanders are asked not to call unless several days have gone by and there is no email.

Close contacts only need to be tested if they are told to do so by the Department of Health. Not everyone a person comes in contact with is a "close contact," only those who are very close for 15 minutes or longer. For this reason, not everyone in a classroom with a positive case is a close contact. Anyone who is identified as a close contact must self-quarantine for 14 days, regardless of their test result. This means staying home from work, school and social gatherings.

"You can't play sports, you can't see friends, you can't go to the store," Raimondo said. "I know it's a drag, I'm sorry."

Anyone who has symptoms must have a negative test result and be symptom-free for 24 hours before they can return to school.

Reopening Rhode Island schools: Read more

• RI Creates Separate Testing System For Schools
• RI School Coronavirus Testing Program Now Open
  
• What A Positive Coronavirus Test Means
  
• First Week Back In School Shows Low Virus Transmission: Raimondo