Rhode Island Governor: Hospitals Overwhelmed, Lockdown on Horizon if Things Don’t Improve

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WLNE) – Rhode Island Gov. Gina Raimondo warned that the state is headed toward another full lockdown as COVID-19 cases continue to spike.

She did not announce any new restrictions at Thursday’s weekly coronavirus briefing, but said that if Rhode Islanders don’t start following the current restrictions, a lockdown will be implemented in the very near future.

“This is very real, we are in a terrible spot, those folks out there who think it’s o.k. to not follow the rules, who thought it was o.k. to have parties, you need to know that it’s costing lives… it’s up to us to do the right thing so that our hospitals do not get overwhelmed,” Governor Raimondo said.

The Governor blamed the continuing case escalation on small informal gatherings and a lack of adherence to restrictions, including mask wearing and social distancing.

She does not believe that schools, many of which continue to see new cases, are to blame for the rise in infections.

“Cases are rising at the same rates everywhere whether schools opened six weeks ago, six months ago, or haven’t opened at all… because we all now know that schools are not major spreaders,” Raimondo said during Thursday’s update.  “It’s what we’ve been talking about for weeks, small gatherings… that occur primarily indoors with masks off.  It’s that simple.”

Doctors from around the state joined the Governor Thursday to provide context to her message, sharing their experience on the ground as cases rise.

“These are real patients,” said Dr. Laura Forman of Kent Hospital. “These are real people. They are dying in our state, they are dying in our hospitals, with a stranger holding their hand through a glove and PPE, while their families try to get a last look at a loved one over a cellphone.”

“I implore all of you to re-evaluate your day-to-day actions and be vigilant about your safety measures,” Forman said. “Pandemic fatigue is real, but so is everything else I shared with you today.”

The governor urgently asked that everyone start following the restrictions, “I’m here one last time pleading with the people of Rhode Island to make changes in your life, to wear your mask always, to stop having social gatherings of any kind period… and to really reign it in.  That choice is yours.  As I’ve said in America, all over the world, we’re back to lockdowns.”

Raimondo reiterated that she believes the state is very close to putting “extreme” measures back in place in order to get this wave of infections under control.

“I hear from people who say they’re just not going to follow the rules, it doesn’t really matter anyway, and it’s hard for me to understand that because it does matter.  People are dying every day.  If we all spent a day in the shoes of one of these patients in the hospital…I think we’d all get a little more serious about following the rules,” Governor Raimondo said.

She also revealed that the state’s COVID hospital bed capacity is currently around 84% full, meaning all beds could be filled within weeks.

Governor Raimondo has instructed administrators of a field hospital in Cranston to start preparing to accept patients and she is calling on all healthcare professionals in the state to offer their services if possible as additional healthcare workers will likely be needed as the case escalation continues.