Rhode Island governor extends pandemic executive orders
PROVIDENCE, R.I. – Rhode Island’s governor extended his executive orders requiring masks in schools and declaring a disaster emergency due to new COVID-19 variants.
Both orders were due to expire Saturday. Gov. Dan Mckee signed an extension through Jan. 8.
Mckee reported on Saturday the state’s first case of the omicron variant of coronavirus in an adult who recently had traveled out-of-state.
Mckee plans to announce a set of actions this week to address the growing number of COVID-19 cases and alleviate pressure on the hospital systems, while keeping schools open for in-person learning and preventing economic disruptions to small businesses. He’s currently finalizing the plans.