UPDATE: (Monday, March 23): The Town Council amended its emergency ordinance at a meeting this morning that will recommend island residents to shelter in place for 14 days, impact building permits, housing rentals, travel, and other items.
Through these provisions the council is urging that all non-essential travel to the island cease.
The council will vote on the updated emergency ordinance at a meeting scheduled for 7 p.m. tonight, March 23. The Block Island Times will live stream the vote, and will published the new emergency ordinance in its entirety on its homepage and on social media accounts.
The council is urging all residents and those individuals who may be planning to come to Block Island to read the ordinance and understand its provisions.
Dr. Mark Clark, director of the Block Island Medical Center, is also recommending these measures to keep the COVID-19 virus from spreading to Block Island. He noted that there are confirmed cases of the virus in Washington County. Dr. Clark and the members of the council reiterated that the island has minimal medical resources — three exam rooms and one trauma center — and anyone who is diagnosed with the virus will be taken
