Events:

COVID-19 pandemic

Coverage of the novel coronavirus, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), that causes coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and the resulting pandemic.

Health

Student Perspective: Student from Shanghai studying in the US discusses the coronavirus

To talk about the whole situation, let’s bring the timeline back to before it even got started in China.  On December 1, 2019, the first case was reported in Wuhan. On December 8, 27 suspected cases were found around the seafood market in Wuhan. At first, they said the virus couldn’t pass from human to […]

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Health

Drive-Thru for COVID-19 Test: These efficient test sites will help RI reach the goal of testing 1,000 Rhode Islanders a day

Wednesday morning, the Rhode Island National Guard Joint Task Force Guardian demonstrated one of the new “drive-thru” test sites opened to help meet Governor Gina Raimondo’s goal of testing 1,000 Rhode Islanders for the novel coronavirus each day. Three centers currently exist, one each at URI, CCRI and RIC. Each has the ability to process […]

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Health

Quarantime: Why not learn to play an instrument?

Okee dokee folks… Last week I wrote about the way social distancing and the show cancellations that came in its wake have affected artists. If you didn’t have a chance to read it, please do. (https://motifri.com/music-in-the-time-of-corona-musicians-talk-about-the-impact-of-losing-gigs-during-social-distancing/ ) “We are all pretty much in the same boat and that boat is the Titanic and it just hit […]

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Health

Stay Home: Without shelter, RI’s homeless population struggles with following the state’s directive

For homeless Rhode Islanders, the coronavirus has made a precarious life harder and more dangerous. “Our population is more vulnerable than the general public. The average mortality rate is 49.5 years… The solution is housing,” says Caitlin Frumerie, executive director of the Rhode Island Coalition for the Homeless. In addition to hardships such as extreme […]

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Health

Letter from the Distribution Manager

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 […]

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Health

Nice Goin’, Gigi!: The gov’s daily briefings tell it like it is

Permanent Press While Phillipe and Jorge have been critical of Governor Gigi Raimondo in the past for her imperious attitude, we must give her tons of credit for how she has handled the coronavirus pandemic here in Little Rhody through her daily press conferences. And while time-consuming, we urge her to continue her daily briefings […]

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Health

Pandemic at the Disco: Music venues are empty, but RI keeps rocking out

Heading For A Clampdown As much as I liked the idea of every Yankees, Giants or Jets fan being stopped on the highway without probable cause and the state police forbidding them from leaving their houses — that idea was bat shit crazy. And even though crossing our borders now gives automatic quarantine to people from […]

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Health

RI Creatives Seek Statewide Artist Relief Fund

Our local economy has collapsed in the wake of COVID-19, leaving thousands of people down and out in the Ocean State with an unemployment rate rapidly approaching Great Depression levels. Creatives have decided to organize. Artists, musicians and gig workers under previously existing rules were unable to collect unemployment or benefits for lost income. The […]

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