Everything You Need to Know About the Coronavirus in Rhode Island

November 30, 2021

Casey Nilsson,

LOCAL COVID DATA

On Tuesday, November 30, the state reported five new fatalities and 733 new cases of COVID-19.

Rhode Island is in a period of high transmission of the coronavirus, with 339.9 cases of COVID-19 per 100,000 people in the last week
155 people are currently hospitalized with COVID-19, with twenty-one people in the ICU and seventeen people on ventilators
Monday’s testing saw a positivity rate of 6.2 percent
2,932 people have died from COVID-19 in Rhode Island since the start of the pandemic
191,763 people have tested positive for COVID-19 in Rhode Island since the start of the pandemic

BOOSTER SHOTS: All Rhode Island adults who completed their primary vaccination schedule at least six months ago are now eligible for Pfizer or Moderna boosters.
- The CDC’s recommendations allow for mix and match dosing for boosters
- Visit vaccinateri.org to schedule your appointment
Rhode Island parents can sign up their young children, ages five to eleven, for Pfizer-BioNTech’s COVID-19 vaccine at a state-run vaccination site in Cranston or at independent pharmacies and clinics across Rhode Island.
- Visit VaccinateRI.org or call 844-930-1779 to schedule a vaccination appointment.
- The dosing schedule is two shots, three weeks apart.
- Click here for a list of school clinics in your community
- In Pfizer-BioNTech’s main clinical trial of 2,248 participants, the vaccine appeared to be 90.3 percent effective against symptomatic COVID-19 for ages five to eleven.
- No cases of myocarditis, or heart inflammation, were detected in the trial
View and print your vaccine record here: portal.ri.gov/vaccinerecord/s

Rhode Island’s public schools are requiring masks for all students and personnel, regardless of vaccination status
- This comes on the heels of an August 17 vote by the Rhode Island Council on Elementary and Secondary Education ordering the Department of Education not to approve district back-to-school plans without mask mandates, effectively mandating masks in public schools across the state.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that both vaccinated and unvaccinated people wear masks indoors in areas with “substantial and high transmission” of COVID-19
- Rhode Island is currently in a period of “high transmission,” however the state has not ordered an indoor mask mandate
- Fully vaccinated Rhode Islanders (at least two weeks after their final dose) are not required to wear masks indoors
- Unvaccinated Rhode Islanders are required to wear masks indoors, on the honor system
Per the CDC, Americans are “required to wear a mask on planes, buses, trains and other forms of public transportation traveling into, within, or out of the United States”
Individual business owners in Rhode Island may still require indoor masking
- Most major chains in Rhode Island, including Target, Whole Foods, CVS, Walmart and Home Depot, no longer require masks for fully vaccinated customers
People with compromised immune systems — regardless of vaccination status — should speak with their physicians about masking
Rhode Island’s major theaters and performance groups have instituted mask mandates, along with vaccine requirements. Read more here.

Visit portal.ri.gov to schedule a test at a state-run test site

The state is hosting pop-up rapid testing events (walk-up; no appointment necessary) in some community settings
- Click here for a list of sites, which is updated weekly
Some CVS pharmacies in Rhode Island offer self-swab COVID-19 tests for adults eighteen and older. Click here to make an appointment.
Asymptomatic testing is encouraged for all Rhode Islanders; schedule a test at portal.ri.gov

Vaccinated domestic and international travelers: You do not need to quarantine upon arrival
Unvaccinated domestic travelers: If you’re visiting or returning to Rhode Island from a state with current travel restrictions, you must quarantine for ten days or provide proof of a negative result from a COVID-19 test taken after arrival or within seventy-two hours before arrival.
Unvaccinated international travelers: You must quarantine for ten days. If you have a negative COVID-19 test result at least five days into your quarantine, you may shorten it to seven days.

Renters in arrears and/or at risk of eviction may qualify for rent relief and utilities assistance through RIHousing
- Financial services are available for renters and landlords

Symptoms include cough, fever, shortness of breath and lost of taste and/or smell
- Visit the Rhode Island COVID-19 self-checker at covidselfchecker.ri.gov for guidance on making coronavirus-related health care decisions based on CDC guidelines
If you’re showing symptoms, call your health care provider first; if you don’t have one, contact a nearby urgent care.
The Crush COVID RI app, a contact tracing, location tracking and symptom management application for smartphones, is available for download in the Apple App Store and Google Play.
Call 401-222-8022 with general questions about COVID-19 or visit the Rhode Island Department of Health website for the latest information
Call Rhode Island’s BH Link at 401-414-5465 if you need mental health help or are struggling with substance abuse; for children, call Kids’ Link at 1-855-543-5465