PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) — Gov. Gina Raimondo made another push Friday for people who work in professions that bring them into close contact with others — including hairdressers and child care workers — to get tested for the coronavirus, even if they don’t feel sick.
The state is falling well short of its goal of testing 900 asymptomatic people per day, something she says is critical in preventing a resurgence of the disease.
The tests, she noted, are free and have been expanded to include restaurant workers and bus drivers.
“To stay ahead of the virus we have to do a lot of continuous testing of people who aren’t sick,” the Democrat said at a news briefing.
She also said the state plans to open more testing sites in cities, where COVID-19 infection rates have been particularly high.
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PREVENTING HOMELESSNESS
To prevent a surge of homelessness because of the pandemic and the resulting economic chaos, Raimondo said the state will start offering bonuses to landlords who agree to rent to at-risk families, especially those who rely on rental assistance programs.
Under the program, landlords who rent to a low-income family will get a $2,000 bonus, and an additional $500 bonus for each subsequent unit they rent to a family in distress.
Landlords will also be eligible for $2,000 grants to make minor repairs.
The goal is to house 100 families by July 1.
Many landlords are reluctant to rent to tenants who use housing vouchers, she said, but that is “especially wrong and especially problematic” during the current crisis.
“This is really a matter of life and death, she said.
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HOSPITALIZATIONS
The state Department of Health on Friday reported 84 new cases of the disease and 10 additional deaths.
That brings the total number of confirmed cases in the state to nearly 16,000 and the death toll to 833.
Of the 10 deaths announced Friday, three people were in their 60s, three were in their 70s, one was in their 80s and three were in their 90s, Department of Health Director Nicole Alexander-Scott said.
The number of people in the hospital with the disease continues to hold steady, with 141 people hospitalized, according to the latest data.
