Cicilline: CDC Should Notify States Of Returning Travelers

PROVIDENCE, RI — A Rhode Island lawmaker is calling for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to notify states of travelers returning from areas where the new coronavirus is spreading.

Congressman David Cicilline sent an open letter Wednesday to the agency's president, Dr. Robert Redfield, saying the current protocol fails to identify everyone who might have been exposed in certain regions, such as Italy.

At this time, the CDC only informs states of travelers returning from China, where the virus originated. Given that the virus is now present in 58 countries and is expected to continue to spread, this is insufficient, Cicilline said.

"Given the seriousness and rapid pace of this outbreak, I strongly urge the CDC to provide notifications to state agencies when travelers arrive in the U.S. from other countries with significant or elevated reports of incidents of COVID-19," the congressman wrote in part. "Transparency during this time is critical to ensuring that Americans have access to accurate and timely information needed to prevent contamination and to seek treatment when appropriate. We have seen that inaccurate reporting can lead to confusion and panic surrounding this epidemic."

Cicilline's letter comes just three days after Rhode Island's first and second "presumptive positive" cases of the virus, both involving people who went on a school trip to Italy in mid-February. A third woman was tested, and all 38 people on the trip have been instructed to self-monitor for symptoms for 14 days, under CDC guidelines.

On Wednesday, a spokesperson for the Rhode Island Department of Health said the department is encouraging prospective travelers, including school groups, to follow the latest CDC guidelines when determining whether to cancel trips. The agency currently recommends that U.S. citizens avoid any nonessential travel to China, Italy, Iran and South Korea.

At this stage, the top priority remains prevention, Dr. Nicole Alexander-Scott, the director of health at the Rhode Island Department of Health, said on Monday. Rhode Islanders are asked to take the same precautions that they normally would take during cold and flu season, as the new virus is also spread through respiratory droplets. These include:

• Wash hands frequently with warm water and soap, or use alcohol-based hand sanitizer if hand-washing is not possible.
• Get a flu shot, and encourage those around you to do the same.
• Cough or sneeze into your elbow rather than a hand or the air.
• Stay home from school or work if sick.
• Keep surfaces — especially bedside tables, bathrooms and children's toys — clean by wiping them down with disinfectant.
• Get plenty of sleep, be physically active, manage stress, drink plenty of fluids and eat nutritious foods to maintain good health.

The CDC does not recommend that otherwise healthy people wear a face mask to protect themselves from respiratory viruses, including the new coronavirus. Only wear a mask if a health care provider instructs you to do so, the Department of Health said. Those with symptoms are asked to wear a mask to help prevent spreading the disease to others.

Coronaviruses are a family of viruses that include the common cold as well as much more serious diseases. The strain that emerged in China in late 2019, now called COVID-19, is related to others that have caused serious outbreaks in recent years, including severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) and Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS). The first confirmed case of COVID-19 in the U.S. was on Jan. 21.

The disease, which apparently originated in animals, is now transferring from person to person, although the mechanism is not yet fully understood. Its symptoms include fever, coughing and shortness of breath, and many patients develop pneumonia. There is as yet no vaccine against COVID-19 it and no antiviral treatment.

Coronavirus in Rhode Island and Beyond:

• Coronavirus In Rhode Island: Schools Closed, Store Shelves Empty
• Coronavirus In Rhode Island: What To Know
• An Outbreak Of Coronavirus Misinformation: AP Fact Check
• RI Coronavirus: 2nd 'Presumptive' Positive, 3rd Person Tested
• Pawtucket School Says RI Coronavirus Patient Is Community Member
• Cohasset Woman Quarantined For Potential Coronovirus Exposure
• Coventry Schools 'Continuously' Monitoring Coronavirus Updates
• Amid National Fear, Rhode Island's Coronavirus Risk Remains Low
• RI Health Department 'Closely Monitoring' Coronavirus Outbreak