RI’s attorney general to quarantine for 2 weeks

PROVIDENCE (AP) — Rhode Island’s top prosecutor announced Tuesday that he will quarantine for two weeks after a member of his household tested positive for the coronavirus.

Attorney General Peter Neronha will carry out his responsibilities remotely until he is able to return to the office on Dec. 22, according to an emailed statement from his office.

The household member, who was not named, tested positive on Monday, according to the statement.

Neronha will be tested for COVID-19 on Tuesday and the results will be made public, the statement said.

TRIALS GO REMOTE

Trials in civil cases in federal court in Rhode Island will be conducted remotely for the time being in response to a rising spread of the coronavirus across the state, the court announced Tuesday.

“In the interests of the efficient and effective administration of justice in civil actions and as part of reasonable public health measures taken to assist with minimizing the spread of COVID-19 during this surge in the pandemic, the U.S. District Court for the District of Rhode Island will conduct all trials and all phases of trial from empanelment to deliberation in civil actions via the zoomgov.com platform until further notice,” the court said in a statement.

Trials conducted by Zoom have proven effective and efficient in other federal district courts, the statement said.

HOSPITALIZATIONS RISE

The number of people in 5hode Island’s hospitals with COVID-19 has reached another single-day high, the state Department of ealth reported Tuesday.

The 444 patients in the hospital with the disease as of Sunday, the latest day for which the data were available, topped the previous record of 441, reached twice in the past week. Sixty of those were new admissions and 43 patients were in intensive care.

The department also reported about 982 new confirmed cases from the previous day and 22 deaths, bringing the number of fatalities to 1,470.

SCHOOLS GO REMOTE

5hode Island’s second-largest school district will move to all-remote learning for the rest of the year because “we are unable to staff our buildings safely any longer, according to a letter to parents.

Cranston Superintendent Jeannine Nota-Masse in the letter 0onday said the district will begin virtual learning for its 11,000 students on Thursday.