'Mask-Wearing Should Be The Default' | New Guidance For RI

PROVIDENCE, RI — Over the past few months, Rhode Islanders have gotten used to a new routine: Going to the grocery store? Wear a mask. Heading out to the park? Wear a mask. Now, state leaders are urging all residents to take it a step further and wear a mask any time they are with someone who is not a member of their household.

"Mask-wearing should now be the default," said Dr. Nicole Alexander-Scott, director of the Rhode Island Department of Health. "Let's make Rhode Island the state that leads the way in changing the trajectory."

The change comes amid a "concerning" trend in Rhode Island's coronavirus data, with new cases, hospitalizations and the percent positive rate all on the rise. If steps are taken now, Gov. Gina Raimondo said, the state can avoid another widespread outbreak and the need to go back a phase of reopening or close parts of the economy.

Read more: 'A Trend In The Wrong Direction' | RI Sees Coronavirus Uptick

The new Department of Health guidelines are meant to slow the spread of the coronavirus in small, intimate gatherings, which have been an area of concern for weeks. While Rhode Islanders have been overall good about wearing masks in public, it's small gatherings of just a few close friends, family members or coworkers where transmission occurs, Raimondo said, because masks are often not worn and social distance is not maintained.

"The virus doesn't discriminate," Raimondo said.

The problem with these small gatherings is that they are very hard to regulate, Raimondo said, unlike restaurants, gyms, places of worship and other public areas. Rather than turn to punishments and fines, Raimondo said she's asking all Rhode Islanders to do their part and choose to wear a mask. This includes at gatherings or visit inside a person's house, any time someone who is not an immediate member of the family is there.

"There aren't many more levers that I can pull ... it's hard to regulate our way out of where we are now," the governor said. "I'm asking you all to be a little more conscious, a little more aware ... I want you to start asking yourself, 'What can I do?'"