This Just In: RI's vaccine passport, and Providence's guaranteed income
Good afternoon and welcome to This Just In. I'm Mike McDermott, managing editor of The Providence Journal. December is off to a lovely start, so I hope you got to enjoy the sunshine while it lasted today.
Rhode Island is planning to roll out a digital vaccine passport, known as 401 Health, later this month. It will remain up to individual businesses to determine whether proof of vaccination is required for entry, Gov. Dan McKee said. The governor also said the state is expanding its "test-to-stay" program to all school districts. And both McKee and Health Director Dr. Nicole Alexander-Scott urged more parents to have their children vaccinated; so far, just about a quarter of the state's children 5 to 11 years old have received at least one dose of a COVID vaccine.
The news comes as new coronavirus cases, which had flattened out somewhat last week, are in a post-Thanksgiving surge. The Rhode Island Department of Health today reported three more coronavirus-related deaths and 978 additional cases of COVID-19, along with 19,666 negative tests, for a 4.7% positive rate. There were 169 COVID-positive hospital patients at last count, up from 155 reported Tuesday, with 19 in intensive care. Rhode Island has reported an average of 597 new cases a day over the last seven days, the highest figure since Feb. 1, although far lower than the average at this time last year. New cases are up 29% from a week ago and up 51% from two weeks ago.
Where are cases going up the fastest? According to the Department of Health's latest town-by-town numbers, East Providence, Woonsocket, Cranston, Warwick and Pawtucket all had among the highest rates of new cases; Providence and Central Falls, meanwhile, had among the lowest rates of new cases.
If you're looking for some things to do during the holidays while keeping it outdoors, John Kostrzewa suggests five hikes that are perfect for this time of year.
Big political news from our neighbor to the north: Charlie Baker, a Republican in a deep blue state who has still managed to consistently rank among the nation's most popular governors, does not plan to run for a third term in Massachusetts.
Providence's "guaranteed income" pilot is up and running. Mayor Jorge Elorza says that more than 4,000 people applied for 110 available spots in the program, which provides $500 monthly checks for those making up to 200% of the federal poverty level. Those who were selected at random to participate had an average monthly income of less than $1,000.
The U.S. secretary of energy, Jennifer Granholm, will be in town tomorrow to explore the offshore wind manufacturing and assembly hub at the Port of Providence.
A former assistant soccer coach at Chariho High School is asking the state Supreme Court to overturn his status as a Level III sex offender. Glen Matteson was arrested in 2012 after the father of a 15-year-old soccer player reported that Matteson had sent his son lurid texts, and child pornography was later discovered on Matteson's computer. But Matteson's lawyer argued that since his client was not found to have actually touched anyone, he should not be classified as a high risk to reoffend.
There'll be double-barreled college basketball action tonight, as PC hosts Texas Tech (with an ungodly 8:30 tip time) while URI visits Harvard. It's the final tune-up for both teams before the Rams visit the Friars at the Dunkin' Donuts Center on Saturday.
And finally, high-school sports' winter season is about to get started. Here's a guide to everything from the Interscholastic League mask policies to our own coverage plans.
Have a great night. And remember, if you enjoy This Just In, please encourage a friend to sign up.
This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: RI's vaccine passport, and Providence's guaranteed income
