PROVIDENCE – Gov. Gina M. Raimondo on Sunday said Rhode Island is joining other Northeast states for bulk purchasing of medical equipment and supplies, part of a wide-ranging effort to move toward reopening the state’s economy next weekend.
“Right now we are all competing against each other” for gowns, ventilators, masks, gloves and the like, she said. “We spend hours a day every day scouring the world. … We need a steady supply chain.”
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Raimondo on April 13 joined a coalition of East Coast governors intent on developing regional plans to guide the opening of individual state economies largely shut down by the COVID-19 pandemic.
On Sunday she said bulk purchasing will help lower costs and allow the state to build up supplies beyond current needs, critical for planning for the unknown effects of a phased reopening of the state economy.
The announcement followed reports by state health officials of 24 new deaths related to COVID-19 in Rhode Island and 188 more positive cases, bringing the latter total to 9,477.
There have been 320 fatalities related to the new coronavirus in Rhode Island.
A total of 330 people are hospitalized with the virus in the state. That includes 83 in intensive care units, with 59 on ventilators.
Of the 24 new deaths – a daily high for the state – 18 were from nursing homes, which have been especially hard hit by the spread of the virus.
Despite the somber news on the daily deaths, the number of new cases of COVID-19 in Rhode Island marked a sharp reduction from the 327 reported on Saturday.
Raimondo said her goal of allowing the current stay-at-home order to expire on May 8 remains within reach.
She was asked by a reporter what the government can do to encourage people to leave their homes to return to work when they are told it is safe to do so. She said it is a question she hears often from businesses.
She said being transparent about plans to reopen the economy in phases and setting clear restrictions on how affected businesses can operate are part of the process.
“It is valid to be anxious” about moving to the first phase of a reopening of the economy, she said. “It is valid to be afraid. But [we] need to also be courageous and brave. When it is time to get back out there, [we] have to do it.”
(UPDATED throughout.)
