Reviews of “Crisis Standards of Care” documents from all hospitals in RI have been ordered by the Department of Health (DoH), according to a statement by its director, Dr. Nicole Alexander-Scott, at the governor’s press conference on Apr 17. Such documents set out rules for rationing limited resources, such as intensive care unit (ICU) beds […]
Testing RI Gov. Gina Raimondo said, “We hear that a lot of people are going into CVS pharmacies requesting a test. You cannot do that. The only way to sign up for a test is to go on-line to CVS.COM [cvs.com/minuteclinic/covid-19-testing].” The only CVS testing facility in RI is in the parking lot of Twin […]
The press conference on Wed, Apr 8, will be at 2:30pm instead of the usual 1pm. New Testing Facility Gov. Gina Raimondo announced at her daily press conference that a new drive-through testing facility was now open and operating in the parking lot of the Twin River casino in Lincoln (which is otherwise closed). RI […]
Since the pandemic situation we’re in is so new, we’ve had to write our own style guide for it, and I’m publishing it publicly in the hope it may be useful. Some of it is admittedly opionated. We follow World Health Organization (WHO) terminology. The pandemic is caused by a virus properly called “severe acute […]
Cloth-based face coverings RI Department of Health (DoH) Director Nicole Alexander-Scott, following new federal guidance, advised everyone to wear cloth-based face coverings, such as bandannas, that cover the mouth and nose. Face coverings can be hand-sewn or improvised from T-shirts and scarves. These are not intended to protect the wearer but to prevent the wearer, […]
There is a famously sarcastic aphorism “Laws, like sausages, cease to inspire respect in proportion as we know how they are made,” but the Rhode Island General Assembly despite all of the unpleasant grinding often fails even to produce sausage. While the legislature has dithered for nearly a decade about legalizing recreational use of cannabis, […]
After considerable discussion and research, Motif decided to publish our regularly scheduled print edition. We regard it as a valuable public service. We are safely distributing it with due regard for the coronavirus. Physical magazines cannot carry infection. Virus droplets break down harmlessly on paper or cardboard in a few hours even if coughed or […]
A group of four independent food service operators sent a letter to RI Gov. Gina Raimondo on March 17, desperately asking for help from state government: “The COVID-19 crisis, and the necessary government-mandated gathering restrictions, [have] shuttered most of us. Those still left open are seeing as much as a 75% decrease in sales. While […]
The Providence French Film Festival 2020 (“PFFF20”), now in its 22nd year, will screen all of its events on the Brown University campus at the Granoff Center for the Arts, 154 Angell St, PVD. All screenings are open to the public, and tickets may be purchased on the web either in advance or by entering […]
A group of us were walking down Empire Street in Downcity around 8:30pm on a Saturday night, and we saw a van, admittedly parked in a no-parking zone, right outside AS220. Our attention was captured by two items: one a hand-lettered cardboard sign on the dashboard explaining that the owner of the van was homeless […]