PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) — Health officials in Rhode Island reported nine more coronavirus-related deaths and more than 1,600 additional cases of the virus on Monday.
More than 200 people were hospitalized with COVID-19 on Saturday, according to the most recent data available from the state Department of Health. That’s up from about 180 a few days earlier and the most hospitalizations since May.
Rhode Island has reported more than 1,200 deaths and more than 38,000 positive cases of coronavirus since the pandemic started.
The latest average positivity rate in Rhode Island is 3.89%. State health departments are calculating positivity rate differently across the country, but for Rhode Island the AP calculates the rate by dividing new cases by test encounters using data from The COVID Tracking Project.
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GOVERNMENT BUILDINGS CLOSED
Town buildings in Coventry and East Providence will be temporarily closed or have limited access starting Monday because of coronavirus concerns.
East Providence officials said Weaver Public Library has been closed until further notice after a staffer tested positive for COVID-19. The Riverside branch was also closed as a precaution.
Officials said contact tracing has begun and all staff members who came in contact with the employee will remain in quarantine. Weaver Library will also be fully disinfected.
In Coventry, officials said town hall and other buildings will be temporarily closed to visitors as coronavirus cases surge in the state.
Officials said tax payments for now can be left in the white drop box outside of town hall.
The library will remain open, but with a ten-person capacity limit and temperature screenings.
The public works office will also be restricted to one visitor at a time, and they will have to remain in the vestibule and not be allowed to enter the building.
The transfer station and drive-up food bank remain open, but the teen center is closed.
