Rhode Island residents should consider wearing cloth-based coverings on their faces when in public to help curb the spread of coronavirus, the state’s top health care official said Friday.

Those coverings include scarves, bandanas or other cloth items that can be used to cover the mouth and nose, according to state health department director Nicole Alexander-Scott.

She said people should not, however, purchase or hoard medical-grade face masks and respirators, which are in short supply and are needed by health care workers.

Authorities announced two more deaths from the virus Friday, bringing the state's total to 14 deaths. Fifty-four new cases were announced, bringing the state's total to 711. Seventy-two people were hospitalized as of Friday afternoon.

One of the deaths occurred in a North Providence nursing home where 65 cases of COVID-19 and four additional deaths have already been reported.

Three locations are being set up as temporary hospitals to handle what's expected to be an increase in cases in coming days and weeks. They are the Rhode Island Convention Center in Providence, a former bank in Cranston and a vacant home improvement storefront in North Kingstown.

Gov. Gina Raimondo, a Democrat, repeated a plea for Rhode Islanders with medical training to contact the state to help.

“If you’re retired, if you’re only working part time right now, if you’re a recent grad and not yet employed, we need you,” she said.

For most people, the virus causes mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough that clear up in two to three weeks. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia, or death.

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THREE CHARGED WITH BREAKING QUARANTINE

Three men are facing misdemeanor charges for driving to Rhode Island to play a round of golf in violation of a state order that requires out-of-state visitors to self-quarantine for 14 days during the coronavirus pandemic, police said.

The Massachusetts men parked at a McDonald's restaurant in Richmond on Wednesday and loaded their gear into a car with Rhode Island plates, which drove them just down the street to Meadow Brook Golf Course, Richmond Chief Elwood Johnson said.

Golf courses in Rhode Island remain open, but only for residents.

McDonald's employees tipped off police, who caught up with the men when they returned to their cars.

Gregory Corbett, 51, of Attleboro; Tyler Pietrzyk, 22, of Taunton; and Nye Cameron, 22, of Taunton, were charged with a petty misdemeanor, Johnson said.

“It’s not the most heinous offense, but the reality is that we’re living in a whole different world this month and it’s important we all follow the rules to keep one another safe,” Johnson said.

The men were summoned to court on May 14. If convicted, they face a fine up to $500 or up to 90 days in jail. It was unclear if they had attorneys.

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3D PRINTED FACE SHIELDS

Students at West Warwick High School are using 3D printers they took home to make face shields for health care workers and first responders.

Teacher Michael Shunney told ABC6 News his students dropped off 30 face shields to Kent County Hospital this week. It's a laborious process and takes six hours to print just four.

The hospital's chief medical officer, Dr. Paari Gopalakrishnan, called the shields “pretty solid.” Head nurse Judy Thorpe said they are “more valuable than gold.”