Dr. Tom Warcup made one of his all too frequent appearances at the Town Council meeting Monday night. As director of the Block Island Medical Center, Warcup informed the council that Rhode Island, as a state, is headed the wrong way with its Covid-19 numbers.Warcup said that since last week the Rhode Island Department of Health has reported that the state has moved from the CDC’s “substantial” category of coronavirus transmission to the “high” category of coronavirus transmission, “the highest category there is,” according to Warcup. One week prior to this meeting, the council had been alarmed at the state being classified as merely “substantial.”In fact, the council had been alarmed at several things during its July 26 meeting: the Covid-19 outbreak in Provincetown, MA, which had 430 cases reported at the time (now grown to over 900); the increased cases on Block Island, 11 in 14 days; and the guidance from the CDC, recommending wearing masks indoors.
At the July 26 meeting Warcup suggested the council “consider a mask ordinance again.” Between the advice of the doctor and the guidance of the CDC, the council felt moved to act in what it considered to be the best