COVID-19 CRISIS

THE LATEST: 'More significant reopening' on course, Raimondo says

Social gathering caps set to increase under phase three

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Laying the groundwork for the next phase of Rhode Island’s reopening plan, Gov. Gina Raimondo on Friday offered details regarding what officials hope to allow starting in July.

“Phase three is going to be an even more significant reopening,” the governor said during third briefing of the week. “Essentially everything will be open in some form or fashion. The only way that’s going to work is if we work even harder, all of us, to follow the rules.”

While the state’s COVID-19 death toll continues to rise – with nine more fatalities announced Friday bringing the total thus far to 894 – other key indicators continue to show positive signs. The trends suggest that the easing of restrictions during the second phase of the reopening process has not resulted in a new surge of the virus.

Just 68 new positive cases were identified among 2,996 test results reported Friday, a positive rate of less than 2.3 percent. Hospitalization, ICU and intubation numbers – at 123, 23 and 12, respectively – continued to hold steady or decline.

Raimondo’s executive order outlining the parameters of phase two expires June 29. While cautioning that any concerning shift in the data trends in the days leading up to that date could alter the state’s approach, the governor said she aims to allow for phase three to commence as July arrives.

That would be a welcome development for a wide range of Rhode Islanders – from those who have been struggling with summer wedding plans to owners of entertainment businesses such as movie theaters and bowling alleys.

Broadly, the contours of the plan Raimondo shared would allow for social gatherings of between 50 and 75 people in indoor settings and between 75 and 150 people in outdoor settings.

“The lower the number, the lower the risk,” the governor said, noting that phase three will not include the same “extreme detail” on a by-setting or by-industry basis as the first- and second-phase plans.

“Slowly, I want to get out of the business of telling people exactly what to do and exactly how to do it,” she added.

Under the next phase, indoor businesses and venues currently operating based on their occupancy limits – restaurants and houses of worship, for example, will be allowed to have 66 percent occupancy at a time. Those required to determine occupancy by square footage, such as retail stores, will be allowed to have one person inside per 100 square feet of space, provided that six-foot social distancing is maintained.

Places where these guidelines would still potential produce crowds of more than 250 people – the Dunkin’ Donuts Center, for example – will be required to submit operational plans to state officials in order to resume operations, the governor said.

There will be no cap on occupancy for outdoor venues, although those locations may also be required to submit operational plans.

In terms of enforcement, Raimondo said the state is “not going to take a heavy-handed approach.” She said additional Department of Business Regulation inspectors have been added ahead of the planned move to phase three.

"We’re here to help. We’re not here to be heavy handed with enforcement … We want people to be safe, and we want people to go back to work, and we want people to enjoy their summer,” she said.

Despite the planned loosening of restrictions, Raimondo cautioned: “Being in a crowd for any length of time is a bad place to be.” She pointed to the current situation in states like Arizona, where case counts are surging and health care systems are being seriously strained.

“There are states right now where their hospitals are at capacity,” she said. “Not Rhode Island. Let’s never let it be Rhode Island.”

Raimondo said in the fourth phase of the reopening, which officials hope will begin in August, social gathering limits for weddings and other congregations of people would likely ease further, to 100 for indoor settings and 250 for outdoor settings.

Elsewhere during Friday’s briefing:

* Raimondo and Education Commissioner Angelica Infante-Green provided additional details regarding the state’s plan for a resumption of in-person K-12 classes on Aug. 31.

Detailed guidance for school districts and municipalities was set to be posted at reopeningri.com by the afternoon, with a deadline for districts to submit operational plans by July 17.

Districts will be asked to prepare for three distinct contingencies – a return of virtually all students to school buildings, a move to “partial in-person learning” if COVID-19 trends move in a negative direction, and a more drastic pull-back focused on providing in-person instruction to the student groups most in need, including the youngest children, those learning English and those with special needs.

The best-case scenario – “Plan A,” as Raimondo dubbed it – calls for stable groups of 30 students or fewer at the elementary and middle school levels. High schoolers, the governor said, would be kept in stable groups “whenever possible.”

“I’ve heard a lot of excitement from parents and students [since the Aug. 31 return date was announced] … I’ve also heard a fair bit of anxiety from teachers and principals and superintendents whose jobs just got a lot harder,” Raimondo said.

* Raimondo announced the launch of the weR1 Rhode Island Fund, which will provide assistance in the form of $400 debit cards to “thousands of families” unable to access traditional benefits due to their immigration status. The goal of the fund – which is a partnership among the state, local mayors, Dorcas International and the Rhode Island Foundation – is to raise $3 million. Donations can be made by texting “weR1” to 27126. Larger donors can visit the Rhode Island Foundation’s website, rifoundation.org.

* Raimondo asked riders on the Block Island Ferry to wear masks during the roughly hour-long trip to the island.

“Do the right thing. We don’t want an outbreak on the island. We don’t want an outbreak anywhere,” she said.

* Summer camps are set to resume Monday, June 29, and the governor said the state has already approved plans that would provide spots for roughly 9,000 children at various camps. She also said approximately 2,000 students across the state have signed up for the Summer Academy for Integrated Learning, or SNAIL, program.

* Raimondo, Infante-Green and Department of Health Director Dr. Nicole Alexander-Scott all acknowledged Juneteenth, a celebration of the end of slavery in the United States that falls on June 19.

Comments

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  • thepilgrim

    Why don’t you reopen the Constitution you treasonous bitch?

    Friday, June 19, 2020 Report this

  • FASTFREDWARD4

    NOT NICE SHE SAVED YOUR LIFE.

    Saturday, June 20, 2020 Report this

  • Justanidiot

    reichsfuhrer gigi saved zero lives. the only thing she wanted to do was to increase her power and rule with an iron fist. the chicken shit general assembly hid in their plexiglass cages and did nothing to stop her. she is on a power trip and it is up to the assembly and the courts to reign in her maniacal ambitions. if they don't we should change the name of the state of rhode island and providence plantations to the third reich.

    Saturday, June 20, 2020 Report this

  • KeepCalmandCarryOn

    I suppose the cretins below with their hateful comments would rather be in the position of the 14 states that opened too soon with no social distancing measures and are now seeing spike in cases, in hospitals overflowing and deaths!!! I guess that would be ok for you fellers.

    Thinking that you must be part of the right wing fascist contingent on the Next Door site...wearing your ignorance proudly!!

    Sunday, June 21, 2020 Report this

  • Straightnnarrow

    Justanidiot is right, the General Assembly grants the authority to declare an emergency to the Governor and until they rescind that authority she can pretty much do what she wants. On this fathers day, it is pretty clear that the men in General Assembly have abdicated their God given authority and allow themselves to be neutered by this radical left wing feminist.

    Sunday, June 21, 2020 Report this

  • Justanidiot

    keepcalmandcarryon is the prime example of the kool aid drinking left that thinks they know best for us all. ha. i say ha, i do. the left are fascists who want to bow to their every whim no matter what. do what they say and do not think for yourself. seig heil reichsfuhrere gigi and all her minions on the left.

    Sunday, June 21, 2020 Report this

  • thepilgrim

    Why doesn’t she just say that this virus is fake? Because she’s a stooge who knows she couldn’t even get a job at Macdonalds. How was this B elected?

    Monday, June 22, 2020 Report this

  • perky4175

    she has already opened the state by allowing all these protesters to gather and not following guide lines shes two faced nobody she do what she says

    Tuesday, June 23, 2020 Report this

  • Honestinfo

    Wow this dude Robert is a lunatic. Could this somehow be Simineau in disguise. Or possibly Robbie Robbie Robbie.

    Wednesday, June 24, 2020 Report this

  • perky4175

    ya right gina you and dr scott cant even follow the rules if it was that important you wouldnt have allowed all those big crowds to gather and try to burn down providce and if your going to raise money then give it to the homeless not those undocumented imergrints

    Thursday, June 25, 2020 Report this

  • thepilgrim

    Yeah. I’m a lunatic to think the Constitution is the highest law of the land. How did there get to be so many stupid a-holes in RI?

    Monday, June 29, 2020 Report this