For audio of the governor's follow-up conference call with reporters, click here. For additional information and graphics from Monday's briefing, click here.
A limited reopening of non-essential retail stores will begin if the current stay-at-home order is lifted on May 9, Gov. Gina Raimondo announced Monday, while plans are also in the works to allow restaurants to start offering outdoor dining services as part of the first phase of the state’s reopening.
Meanwhile, a host of other restrictions – including the prohibition on visitation at nursing homes, hospitals and assisted living facilities – will remain in place during phase one. The governor acknowledged, too, that some retailers and restaurants will not have the capability to reopen even under the new rules.
But she again expressed optimism that the stay-at-home order will be allowed to expire, saying Rhode Islanders were “very compliant” with mask wearing and social distancing over the weekend despite the warm weather – and pointing to the daily COVID-19 data update as a “good news story” despite the announcement of more than 20 new deaths related to the virus.
“As I stand here today … it is my hope and intention to lift the stay-at-home order when it expires May 8,” the governor said, before providing what she described as a “flavor of what phase one might look like.”
Phase one preview
Using a series of visualizations to illustrate how the new phase one rules would look when implemented, Raimondo discussed how non-essential retailers, restaurants and offices can expect to proceed if the stay-at-home order is lifted.
Tempering expectations, she prefaced the remarks by saying: “It is not going to look radically different than it does now. And if it does, and we start to see crowds and bunching, we’re doing something wrong.”
For retail stores that were ordered closed in late March, the governor said the new restrictions will be “similar to what you’re seeing in grocery stores now,” with a limit of one customer being allowed inside to browse for every 300 square feet of space. That is the formula currently used to determine occupancy for grocery stores during special hours for older shoppers, she said. Under the new rules, workers and customers will be required to wear masks.
Raimondo said pre-ordering and pickup services will continue to be encouraged, as will contact-free payment methods.
In terms of restaurants, the governor said outdoor dining would not begin immediately on May 9. Specifics remain limited, but she said it would be a “very different form of dining than we’re used to,” with mask-wearing requirements and “frequently touched and reused objects” such as menus prohibited. Regular dine-in service, she added, will not be include in phase one.
On both the retail and restaurant front, Raimondo said she is aware many establishments lack the capability to accommodate the new rules due to limitations such as space or location. She encouraged businesses to explore “creative” solutions – in the case of restaurants, for instance, using parking areas to accommodate outdoor dining.
Raimondo said close-contact business such as salons “will definitely be the focus of phase two.”
The governor said office workers should continue to work from home during phase one if possible, although returning on a limited basis – to pick up documents and materials, for example – will be permitted. She said additional guidance regarding how offices should proceed will be forthcoming, although she said mask wearing, social distancing and health screenings will be a part of the new approach.
The governor also indicated she is planning to issue a new executive order providing additional guidance in terms of mask-wearing.
“Throughout this week, there’s going to be a lot more detail,” she said, adding later: “We’re going to have to be flexible. We’re going to have to be patient. We’re going to have to work with each other.”
Another focus of the first phase of the reopening, Raimondo said, will be urging people who have deferred health care services during the crisis to schedule appointments through their provider. That will also involve “relaxing a lot of the requirements” for health care professionals whose work has been slowed or halted by the current crisis.
Raimondo said her decision to proceed with the reopening plan earlier than Massachusetts and other nearby states is tied to the gradual, phased nature of the state’s approach.
“What’s not fine is returning to normal right away,” she said. “Remember, go slow, go steady.”
Under the reopening outline unveiled last week, 14-day trends in terms of COVID-19 case counts and hospitalizations will be among the key indicators of when each phase of the reopening process can begin.
Asked during a follow-up conference call with reporters when there would be a definitive announcement regarding the status of the stay-at-home order, Raimondo said she is targeting Thursday.
She added: “People should assume that [lifting the order] is what is what’s going to happen, absent some bad thing happening that’s going to prevent that.”
By the numbers
Another 21 fatalities related to COVID-19 were reported Monday, bringing the state’s overall death toll to 341 people. It marked the second consecutive day with more than 20 new deaths, following the 24 reported Sunday.
Department of Health Director Dr. Nicole Alexander-Scott said of the 21 new deaths, one was a person in their 40s, two were in their 60s and one was in their 70s. Eight were in their 80s and nine were in their 90s. Seventeen of the deaths were associated with nursing homes, while two were tied to group homes.
Another 175 positive cases of COVID-19 have been identified, according to Monday’s update – the lowest single-day increase in several weeks. To date, 74,136 Rhode Islanders have been tested for the disease, with 64,484 testing negative. The latest updated is based on 2,209 new tests.
As of Monday, 339 people were hospitalized in Rhode Island due to COVID-19. Of those, 84 were on ICUs and 61 were on ventilators. To date, 601 people have been discharged from the state’s hospitals after treatment for the disease.
The latest city and town case counts include Providence (3,096), Pawtucket (946) Cranston (564), Central Falls (503), North Providence (496), East Providence (398), Warwick (384), Woonsocket (331), Cumberland (201), Smithfield (173), Johnston (162), West Warwick (147), North Kingstown (147) and Coventry (109).
Raimondo said it is important to “remember the toll that this crisis is taking on so many families in Rhode Island, especially those who’ve lost loved ones,” but she also framed Monday’s figures as “good news” given the decline in new cases and the relative stability of hospitalization and ICU numbers.
“I think these numbers are a good news story … We’re on top of it. It’s stable. We’ve made good choices, and we’ve done as good of a job as we could,” she said.
At the start of Monday’s briefing, Raimondo said Department of Business Regulation staffers conducted unannounced spot checks at more than 300 businesses across Rhode Island over the weekend. They reported a 95 percent compliance rate in terms of customers wearing masks and nearly 100 percent compliance with the 6-feet social distancing requirement, the governor said.
Elsewhere during Monday’s briefing:
* Alexander-Scott said the state is embarking on a new testing initiative, which will be available on a voluntary basis to workers at four Stop & Shop locations around the state. It will including COVID-19 diagnostic and antibody testing, and is intended to use “use specific, representative samples of people and places” to garner more info about the transmission of the virus in Rhode Island. She said the initiative is similar to work done annually to formulate estimates regarding the flu.
* Raimondo confirmed that federal authorities are investigating unemployment insurance fraud in the state, although she declined further comment. She did say she believes the Department of Labor and Training’s checks for fraud are adequate, and she said any fraud is likely due to “bad actors” rather than any failure of the existing system.
9 comments on this item Please log in to comment by clicking here
perky4175
it will be a disaster nobody is doing what there supposed to now
Tuesday, May 5, 2020 Report this
Justanidiot
supposed to do? you mean fall into step behind reichsfuhrer gigi and leave our brain and senses at the door and not do anything until we are told. someone has been watching big sister's daily message a little too closely.
Tuesday, May 5, 2020 Report this
KimLorene
We are not children. Stop talking to us like we are children. I am so sick of living under the govern of this horrible governor.
Tuesday, May 5, 2020 Report this
JohnStark
I've noticed that people are breaking into one of two camps with all this. On one hand, you have people who implicitly and unconditionally trust all things Government. These are people who do not object to being told what to do, and do not mind being treated as a child. They will believe anything spoken by a "government expert". On the other hand, you have people who retain a healthy skepticism of government. These people resent being told what to do and how to behave, and recognize that most "government experts" have been wrong from the get-go. Rhode Island tends to have more of the former than latter. They embrace a nanny state because it is comforting, and in many cases because a brother-in-law is on the government payroll. Which gives us a governor who fully recognizes the inherent mentality of Rhode Islanders, which is why she can act as mother-governor. 'Wear a mask, or no dessert!' If the goal was to quarantine the healthy, displace those not at-risk, wreck a thriving economy, and explode government dependence the plan has been a thriving success.
Tuesday, May 5, 2020 Report this
Justanidiot
i am here from the guvmnt to tell you not to worry about the taxes on tea we are imposing. it is for the greater good of the british empire. please just keep drinking the tea as normal and pay your taxes. plus, please pay on any other items you purchase. your representation in parliament is not necessary as we here at the crown and royals know what is best. now shut up, sit down, and do as you are told.
Tuesday, May 5, 2020 Report this
Straightnnarrow
After 12 years of government required schools plus another 4 years in government assisted "higher" education, is it any wonder that the mindset is to rely on the same government? It is working just as it was planned 172 years ago: Measure No. 10 "Free education for all children in public schools." Karl Marx, 1848
Wednesday, May 6, 2020 Report this
Cat2222
John Stark,
There is a third camp. The health experts. I believe those that have the knowledge of infectious diseases and I will follow their lead.
Typhoid Mary, 1 person, that was A symptomatic, infected hundreds of people that she cooked for in NY and was quarantined because of the risk to the general public. There are many people walking around that are carriers. If asking to put a mask on in public is too problematic for people or that it infringes on their freedom, tell me, does that include infecting hundreds of people with zero accountability?
I received a letter from the RI Transplant Unit regarding steps to take to ensure that I stay safe. I will follow the steps because it didn't come from a politician. It came from a group of experts in their field. I fully understand that not everyone is in the same position as those that have compromised immune systems. I agree that we have to open the economy. I just don't agree that one persons freedom to not wear a mask in public trumps another persons freedom to stay safe.
Nevertheless, I will continue to stay safe and at home until I receive further instructions from the doctors and scientists that are trained in infectious diseases.
Wednesday, May 6, 2020 Report this
thepilgrim
And why did they ever close? Because they’re run by people that have never read the US Constitution.
Thursday, May 7, 2020 Report this
wwkvoter
I cant believe that I cannot go catch covid and then spit on people. the constitution allows that! we should be able to get other people sick and put others at risk! we have rights! public safety laws are tyranny!
Friday, May 8, 2020 Report this