I'm very sad to share that we've lost 8 more Rhode Islanders to Coronavirus. Our thoughts and prayers are with their families and friends at this heartbreaking time.

Recently, I gave everyone an assignment. I asked you to start keeping a daily log of where you go & who you’re physically in contact with. For most of you, this list should be short. For those of you who have to go to work outside of the house, the list will be longer.

We really hope you don’t get sick. But I’m asking you again to do this because if you get sick & you’ve already done this exercise, it will be much easier to trace who you’ve been in contact with. You should do this every day while it’s fresh in your mind.

I also asked you to think about one kind thing you could do for someone else. Your assignment is a little bigger this week. We don’t know how long this will go on, and we’re all off our routines. We need kindness every day.

I want you to make a list of more acts of kindness you can do this week. Maybe you ask an elderly neighbor if you can do their grocery shopping, or write a special thank you note to your child’s teacher. It might seem small, but these are the type of things that keep us going.

I want to talk to everyone again about following the rules. We still hear far too many reports of crowds in large stores. I don’t know how many times I have to say this. We can’t protect you if you don’t follow the rules. We need you to hunker down and do the right thing.

If you get to the grocery store & see a lot of cars or a long line, consider coming back later. You should only be sending one person to run essential errands. Don’t take the whole family. And please, just shop for the essential items you need.

We need your help to know where there are problems. I’m asking that you report your concerns to the Department of Business Regulation. You can visit http://dbr.ri.gov/questioncomplaints/ or call 889-5550.

It’s so important that everyone who needs to be tested can be tested, but we know that transportation may be an issue for some. I’m proud to announce that we now have transportation assistance in place for Medicaid members who don't have other options.

If you’ve been ordered to be tested, you’re a Medicaid member, & you have no other transportation options, call MTM & they will schedule you a ride. Visit http://mtm-inc.net  or call 1-855-330-9131.