A day after New York, New Jersey and Connecticut added Rhode Island to its travel ban, Governor Gina Raimondo said that the Ocean State's recent rise in cases is closely related to outbreaks at local colleges. Providence College and the University of Rhode Island account for a combined 190 cases. Many of the PC cases involved students who live off campus in apartments in the Easton Street area of Providence. Raimondo says that most of the students infected were not following social distancing guidelines and were often socializing with multiple households. All off-campus students (approx. 1,100) have been tested and all students are being directed to stay at home. A similar situation occurred at URI, where an outbreak was traced to three fraternity or sorority houses.
In her weekly press briefing, the governor noted that the coronavirus is being contained fairly well at K-12 public schools. As of Wednesday morning, there were 33 positive cases among students and school staff who had been in school buildings and another 44 cases among those who were involved in remote learning.
- Data for 9/23/20
- New cases: 121
- New fatalities: 3
- Tested on 9/22: 8,234