RIC dorm resident tests positive for COVID-19

Posted: Mar 23, 2020 / 07:27 PM EDT / Updated: Mar 24, 2020 / 06:55 PM EDT

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) — A Rhode Island College student who lives in the dorms tested positive for COVID-19, the Target 12 Investigators have learned.

According to an email sent by RIC President Frank Sanchez, the R.I. Department of Health informed the college of the positive test.

“The resident, who resides on campus, is in self-isolation and following the protocols from RIDOH,” Sanchez said in the email.

Sanchez said residence halls will be closed for the remaining six weeks of the spring semester, but a “small” group will be allowed to continue living in the dorms.

RIC has not responded to several phone calls and emails about how many students are still living on the campus.

Emails sent early Monday afternoon included questions about whether or not students were quarantined due to coronavirus.

Positive tests in other local school communities have prompted RIDOH to question the infected individual to come up with a list of people who had direct contact with them.

Anyone with direct contact has been instructed to self-quarantine.

There was no information in Sanchez’s email about which dormitory the infected student is housed in or whether anyone connected to the student with the virus was told to self-quarantine.

Around noon on Monday, there were several college vehicles in front of Penfield Hall, and dozens of what appeared to be student vehicles were parked in nearby lots and behind the dormitory that can house 366 students, according to RIC’s website.

Send tips to Target 12 Investigator Walt Buteau at wbuteau@wpri.com and follow him on Twitter @wbuteau.