School stays open after staffer tests for coronavirus

*The Anthony Carnevale Elementary School in Providence is seen in this file photo by Steve Klamkin WPRO News*

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) — A Providence elementary school will remain open for in-person classes even though a staffer has tested positive for the coronavirus, school officials said Tuesday.

The principal and the assistant principal of Carnevale Elementary School will quarantine for two weeks because they had close contact with the person, whose name was not made public, according to a statement from the school district.

The person who tested positive had minimal contact with students Monday, which was the first day of classes.

The district was made aware of the positive test by the state Department of Health on Monday.

“We will restrict access to the impacted work area until that space can undergo a deep cleaning, per CDC guidelines,” the district’s statement said.

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NEW CASES

Rhode Island has 82 more confirmed coronavirus cases and three more virus-related deaths, the state Department of Health reported Tuesday.

The 82 new cases were out of 5,400 tests, a positive rate of about 1.5%.

The seven-day rolling average of the positivity rate in Rhode Island has now dropped over the past two weeks from 1.28% on Aug. 31 to 1.02% on Monday, according to the Johns Hopkins University Center for Systems Science and Engineering.

The seven-day rolling average of daily new cases in Rhode Island has now fallen over the past two weeks, going from more than 92 on Aug. 31 to nearly 80 on Monday, according to Johns Hopkins.

There have now been 23,250 confirmed cases in the state and 1,078 deaths.

There were 81 people with the coronavirus in the state’s hospitals as of Sunday, the most recent date for which information was available, the same as the previous day. Nine patients were in intensive care.