Cases up in Charlestown and the rest of coastal RI as
beaches fill up
By Will Collette
 |
| By Mike Luckovich, Atlanta Journal-Constitution |
A combination of credible information, strict rules, effective enforcement and cooperation from the public “flattened the curve” and kept us out of crisis.
We ended up not needing the emergency
hospital space Gov. Gina Raimondo had leased (drawing criticism from our
local right-wing politicians led by Rep. Blake “Flip” Filippi). I just wonder
what they would have said if we had needed the extra beds and not had them.
Unfortunately, like the rest of the country, we’re
starting to slip backwards slightly as Phase 3 re-opening kicks in. Between
relentless politicization against anti-virus measures by Republicans and plain
old pandemic fatigue, we’re seeing some significant warning signs such as a
rise in the rolling 7-day average of cases to 99 a day.
Rhode Island’s confirmed
cases just topped 18,000 and the death toll is at 997. Gov. Raimondo said
that when the death count hits 1,000, she will order flags lowered to
half-staff.
What do Charlestown
and Central Falls have in common?
Both are seeing sharp new spikes in cases. WPRI investigative reporters found “cities and towns along the shoreline – including Middletown, Charlestown, Narragansett, Jamestown, Barrington, Newport and Bristol” – are showing the highest percentage increase in new COVID cases.
Charlestown and Middletown led
with positive case spikes of 25%, though for Charlestown that meant we now have
a total of 30 confirmed cases, a relatively small number.
State and local authorities are
drawing the logical conclusion that crowded beaches, reopened bars and restaurants
and some lapses in mask wearing and social distancing are behind these spikes.
The data shows that
3% of the new confirmed cases are out-of-state “summer people.” Oh, PLEASE
set up the State Police checkpoints again!
The state and towns have been adjusting
beach parking to reduce the crowds at the beach
and have been aggressively
ticketing cars parking illegally on streets near
the beaches after the Governor was most critical of Misquamicut and Scarborough
beach crowding.
Central Falls is also showing an
alarming increase over its already high numbers. Around 5%
of Central Falls’ population have tested positive
compared to the state average of 1.7%
Businesses and events
continue to take a beating
 |
| By Bill Bramhall, New York Daily News |
This led Brickley’s Ice Cream to shutter its Wakefield store for the season. The Narragansett location is still open, at least for now.
I reported on other closures or service cutbacks in the last
Short Takes along with my hope that these incidents are being caused by summer
people and not locals.
Local hero Arrowhead Dental just announced the cancellation
of its annual “Dentistry with a Heart” event – postponed until Fall 2021 – due to
the pandemic. Arrowhead has been doing this for years, serving all comers for a
day of free dental services ranging from cleaning to oral surgery. Last year,
they helped more than 150 patients.
It’s only July, but the annual Charlestown
New Year’s Eve bonfire has already been cancelled. Frank Glista has been treating
the town to this magical event for years now, but it takes a lot of lead time
to put the donated wooden pallet supply together.
Since we don’t know whether we will still be in the throes
of the pandemic come New Year or whether it will “magically disappear, Frank
decided to pull the plug, breaking a 13-year string.
This is the kind of “cancellation culture” that worries me,
not Trump’s worries over the Confederacy.
