Coronavirus In RI: Fines For Quarantine Violators

PROVIDENCE, RI — Rhode Island will begin enforcement of quarantine orders for those who are diagnosed with symptoms of the new coronavirus, those who have been identified as being in close contact with someone diagnosed with coronavirus symptoms, and anyone who travels to the state by any means, Gov. Gina Raimondo said during her Thursday news conference. Gov. Raimondo said those who violate the quarantines will be punished with fines "in the hundreds-of-dollars range."

Gov. Raimondo said the measures are difficult, but necessary, as she looks ahead to opening up parts of the economy.

"We are going to get much more serious about enforcing the quarantine," Raimondo said. "This is about to get harder, not easier. More of us are going to get stuck inside for 14 days and we're going to start enforcing it."

She said anyone who is told to quarantine cannot leave their home for 14 days. Those who are diagnosed with the coronavirus should isolate from other members of the household within the house until seven days have passed, there are no symptoms, and there is no fever for 72 hours.

Rhode Island on Thursday reported eight more deaths, bringing the total to 43 in the state since the beginning the pandemic. There were 277 new cases, bringing the total to 1,727. Raimondo said 160 people are hospitalized with coronavirus symptoms.

While Raimondo said she did not want to give specifics about the state's expected "peak" of cases, she did say "we are going up the curve, a lot more people are going to get sick," and that her estimate was "late April to late May-ish."

Dr. Nicole Alexander-Scott, director of the state's Department of Health, said the ages from Thursday's reported deaths ranged from their 20s to their 90s. She said the person in their 20s had underlying health issues.

Alexander-Scott said the state had 2,243 people under quarantine or isolation as of Thursday.

"(Quarantine) is the most aggressive and evidence-based approach to be able to be pinpointed in preventing the virus from spreading from one person to the next person," Alexander-Scott said.

The quarantine enforcement comes at a time when Raimondo said the state is ramping up its testing ability. She said the state tested 1,800 people Wednesday, which nearly doubles the goal of testing 1,000 people per day this week, a first step toward reopening parts of the economy. At this point, she said, only those with coronavirus symptoms are eligible for testing, but that will change as more testing resources become available and an effort to identify those who are able to return to work develops in the coming weeks.

"It's been an unbelievable feat that's been accomplished," Raimondo said. "It's extraordinary."

She said the state is testing at twice the per-capita level of Massachusetts and Connecticut.

"Testing is a key component to getting this economy going again," she said. "This is why we are one step closer to getting back to some semblance of normalcy."

She said the barrier to making testing available for those who do not have symptoms is based on "a massive shortage of supply" of testing supplies.

"We are in a global fight for resources," she said. "We just can't get access to all the test kits, and all the reagents, we need at this time."

Raimondo added she knows this is a difficult time on everyone being told to stay at home, and those who go out to work every day as an essential worker. She added that only those who have been laid off are eligible for unemployment benefits — those who decide to leave available jobs, for whatever reason, are not.

"If you are well, please go to work," she said. "I am asking companies to do whatever you can to make sure those employees are protected, and can stay home if they are sick."

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