Crowds Persist At Rhode Island Beaches: Raimondo

PROVIDENCE, RI — Crowds at Rhode Island's beaches continue to be a concern for the spread of coronavirus in the state, Gov. Gina Raimondo said Friday afternoon. Ahead of the weekend, the governor again urged all beachgoers to wear masks when in crowded areas and to practice social distancing, avoiding gathering in large crowds.

"Rhode Island is one of the very few states that are seeing declines," Raimondo said. "We are standing out in that we are seeing declines while other states are seeing increases."

With that being said, Raimondo chastised large groups on beaches, particularly at Misquamicut beach Thursday afternoon. High tide led to a narrowed strip of sand, and beachgoers were gathered in large groups, she said. Carloads of eight to 10 people flocked to the Westerly beach, leading to overcrowding.

This is unacceptable, the governor continued, saying she will be forced to close the beaches, as has been the case in other states like Florida, if crowding continues and the state starts to see a spike in cases.

At this time, Raimondo said she will not lower capacity at state beach parking lots, instead asked beachgoers not to attend in large groups and to come back later if they see a large crowd on the beach.

Rhode Island continues to defy national trends, with new cases of coronavirus, deaths and hospitalizations continuing to decline. By wearing a mask, practicing social distancing and avoiding large crowds, the state can keep this trend going, Raimondo said.

On Friday, the Rhode Island Department of Health reported 45 new cases and just two deaths: one a person in their 50s and one in their 70s. There were 61 people in the hospital, four of whom were in an intensive-care unit and five on a ventilator.

As testing continues, the department is focused on using a targeted strategy, rather than trying to test every person in the state, Director Nicole Alexander-Scott said.

"Who we test matters," she said, adding that testing resources are being focused where they are needed most, such as in nursing homes and high-risk communities.

Unlike some other states, which only report the number of people who have been tested, Rhode Island is also reporting the number of tests administered, which can lead to some confusion over what percent of the population has been tested, Alexander-Scott continued, reiterating that the department's focus is more on who is being tested, rather than simply how many tests have been conducted.

Patch editor Scott Souza contributed to this report.