UPDATED: McKee Announces Timeline for Ending Mask Mandates in RI -- See When

UPDATED: McKee Announces Timeline for Ending Mask Mandates in RI -- See When

Rhode Island Governor Dan McKee on Wednesday announced he is lifting the state's indoor masking mandate beginning on Friday, February 11. 

Moreover, he announced that if the General Assembly extends his masking policy for K-12 schools, that they will be extended until March 4 -- at which point, it would be up to individual school districts to dictate masking policy. 

"We want to give districts plenty of time to plan and parents the opportunity to have discussions…and the opportunity to vaccinate," said McKee.

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On Wednesday, McKee pointed to Rhode Island's dropping case numbers and hospitalizations. 

“We are seeing a lot of encouraging movement in our numbers,” said McKee. “On a seven day case average, our case average is down 71% from two weeks ago.”

“We have the 8th lowest positivity rate in the country right now,” he added. “Hospitalizations are down to 227 in the last 7 days — after peaking at 598 reported in mid-January.”

 

Opponents Criticize the Decision

Democratic rival for governor, former Secretary of State Matt Brown said, "Governor McKee's decision to lift mask and vaccine mandates just weeks after the highest case rates we've seen since is irresponsible and dangerous. Through this pandemic, Rhode Island has had more COVID cases per capita than any other state in the country. Now, Governor McKee is recklessly, prematurely abandoning basic protections."

As Governor, I would maintain the mask mandates, implement a vaccine mandate, and ensure all Rhode Islanders have access to free masks and tests. And I'd only end the mandates when we're sure it is safe to lift them, not because of political pressure from anti-maskers," added Brown.

Helena Foulkes, the former corporate CEO who is also running against McKee in the Democratic primary said, "Lifting restrictions in two days without a clear plan for how the state will support hospitals struggling with staffing shortages is not responsible. While we're trending in the right direction, our case rates are still significantly higher than Massachusetts and Connecticut."

She added, "We don't want to be in a position six weeks from now where we have to put new mandates in place because we moved too quickly. Rhode Islanders deserve to know what concrete actions the governor is taking to prevent our hospitals from becoming overwhelmed."

 

Latest for RI --and U.S.

McKee made the announcement at his press conference surrounded by his pandemic response team - Department of Health Interim Director Dr. Jim McDonald, Education Commissioner Angélica Infante-Green, Commerce Secretary Stefan Pryor, Senior Advisor and Chief COVID-19 Administrator Marc Pappas, Ana Novais, Assistant Secretary, Executive Office of Health and Human Services and Ernie Almonte, Chief of Staff, Lt. Governor's Office

In recent days, Governors around the country announced they rolling back the restrictions.

New York state will drop its indoor mask mandate for businesses effective Thursday, according to the Wall Street Journal.

“Gov. Kathy Hochul, a Democrat, won’t renew a rule announced in December that required people to wear masks in restaurants, offices and other public spaces where not all attendees are vaccinated, the people briefed on her decision said. The rule is set to expire on Thursday.”

In Massachusetts, the mask requirement for K-12 schools will end on Feb. 28, the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) announced today.

In New Jersey, the requirement for wearing masks in schools will end on March 7.

Connecticut’s school mask mandate ends on Feb. 28.

In Delaware, indoor mask requirements end on February 11, and the school mask requirement ends on March 31.

In California, indoor mask requirements end on February 15.

And in Oregon, in school masking ends on March 31.