The number of coronavirus cases in Rhode Island is approaching 3,000, as state officials reported 311 new cases on Monday, bringing the total number of cases to 2,976. The number of virus-related deaths is now 73, with 10 new deaths reported since the weekend. Eight out of ten new deaths are related to nursing homes.
Governor Gina Raimondo announced that the state is testing an average of 2,068 people per day and to date, over 20,000 Rhode Islanders have been tested for the virus.All testing sites were closed on Monday due to high winds, which pose a safety threat to the outdoor test sites.Anyone scheduled to be tested on Monday is being rescheduled to Tuesday and will be contacted with a revised test time.
Raimondo also announced that Goldman-Sachs is making $10 million in small business loans available to Rhode Island businesses affected by the ongoing crisis. Businesses interested in applying for loans should go to the RI Commerce website,www.Commerceri.com and can learn more by calling the business help line at 401-521-HELP.
Since the COVID-19 crisis began, unemployment claims in the state have exceeded 144,000. The governor says that it may take 7-14 days for the state to contact those who have filed for unemployment benefits, but that the state Department of Labor and Training is making headway.
As Rhode Island enters its fifth week of distancing learning for all schools, Raimondo said she expects to announce a decision about the remainder of the school year this week. She also announced that the Rhode Island Foundation has pledged $100,000 to help families access the internet for the purpose of remote learning.