PROVIDENCE – Gov. Gina M. Raimondo said the total number of identified COVID-19 cases in the state has reached 54 cases as of Friday afternoon, marking a 10-case increase from Thursday’s briefing.
The governor also said that she has activated the full Rhode Island National Guard. The move will bring 1,000 trained men and women at the state’s disposal to help Rhode Islanders, Raimondo said.
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Members of the National Guard will be helping at testing sites and delivering food to those in quarantine, among other things.
The 10 new people who have tested positive for COVID-19 range in age from a child to a person in their 70s, accoridng to Dr. Nicole Alexander-Scott director of the R.I. Department of Health.
Some traveled recently to other states and one had visited Estonia, Alexander-Scott said. All 10 are recovering at home.
Raimondo repeated Friday that she does not intend to issue a shelter-in-place order and is not considering it at this time.
Still, Alexander-Scott said, this weekend could be a crucial point in the state’s efforts to curb the spread of the coronavirus, which has reached the point of community spread in Rhode Island.
“Please, it is critical right at this time that you stay home if you can,” she said.
More medical supplies are coming into the state as a result of appealing to the private sector to help, but Raimondo acknowledged that more testing is needed. Currently, 100 to 200 tests are being performed daily.
“We need to get to a place where we’re doing 500 to 600 tests a day,” she said. “We’re not there now, we’re going to work to get there.”
Once sufficient supplies, including protective gear for health care workers and testing swabs, are in place, officials plan to allow private labs to run tests for COVID-19.
The governor also said the state is pushing back its tax filing deadline to July 15, mirroring a move by the federal government announced earlier on Friday.
Unemployment filings in the state due to the coronavirus reached nearly 30,000 as of Thursday.
When asked about the possibility of layoffs or furloughs for state workers as the strain on the state’s budget intensifies, Raimondo said the prospect has not been ruled out.
“It’s going to depend on a lot of factors, and how quickly the economy can get going again,” she said. “That’s the sort of thing you like to keep as a last resort.”
Responding to a question asked during her news conference on Friday afternoon, Raimondo said she is looking into the best way to allow restaurants to sell alcohol along with food takeout.
She said she was also open to fielding other innovative suggestions on how the state could assist businesses during the crisis.
