Starting this Friday the mandate on mask wearing indoors in Rhode Island will end Gov. Dan McKee announced during a press conference Wednesday afternoon. After Friday individual businesses will be able to decide on their own masking policies. 

“Thanks to Rhode Islanders stepping up to do the right thing, together we’ve made considerable progress against COVID-19 and the winter surge,” said McKee. “Based on our decreasing case and hospitalization numbers, our team at the Department of Health feels confident in our plan to safely shift masking guidance for both schools and public settings as we move into an endemic management phase of the virus.”

In a press release McKee’s explained that the decisions to shift the masking policies “were made in collaboration with the Department of Health and based on current Covid-19 data.”

“Since peaking at approximately 6,700 cases a day in early January, Rhode Island’s case numbers have decreased by more than 94 percent,” the press release read. “Since peaking at 598 hospitalizations in mid-January, Rhode Island’s number of hospitalized Covid-19 patients has decreased by approximately 52 percent. (Hospitalization trends tend to lag behind case trends.) During the week of January 2, there were 9,931 K-12 cases in Rhode Island, compared to 1,547 K-12 cases the week of January 30.” 

In response to McKee’s decision Warwick City Council President Steve McAllister said, “there is no easy answers.”

“ I believe the Governor is doing the best he can with the information available to him.  There is no decision he can make that will satisfy everyone,” said McAllister. “ I personally hope eligible people will continue to get vaccinated and boosted.”

Mayor Frank Picozzi said Wednesday afternoon, “I have been following the Governor's orders since I took office.”

“I agree with his decision and I’m very pleased our state is moving in the right direction,” said Picozzi. 

Schools

McKee on Wednesday said that pending the approval of a joint resolution of the General Assembly to extend the Governor’s emergency authority for 45 days, McKee would extend the Executive Order that requires indoor masking in public K-12 schools to March 4. 

As of March 4 the decision will be in the hands of individual school districts in terms of masking. 

“At that point, cities, towns, and school committees will be able to implement their own masking policies using updated recommendations that RIDOH and RIDE will provide,” the press release read. “ This updated approach brings masking in line with other mitigation measures that schools implement based on recommendations from RIDOH and RIDE, such as testing, social distancing, and symptom screening.”

It was explained by McKee that the reason why the masking will last longer for schools than it will for businesses is due to the challenges of developing and implementing the new Covid-19 policies in schools. 

“During these three additional weeks, school leaders will be able to develop masking policies after reviewing the updated recommendations from RIDOH and RIDE and after gathering input from families,” the press release read. “ This will also give families additional time to get their children vaccinated.” 

Because buses fall under federal regulations masking on buses won’t be impacted by the changes made by the State. 

School Committee Chair Judy Cobden said that Warwick will be following the guidance from the Governor and will continue to keep their mask policy in place until it expires.