R.I.’s Phase II of reopening to begin on June 1

Updated at 2:05 p.m. on May 29, 2020.

RHODE ISLAND health officials reported 16 new deaths due to COVID-19 on Thursday. / COURTESY R.I. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH
RHODE ISLAND health officials reported 16 new deaths due to COVID-19 on Thursday. / COURTESY R.I. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH

PROVIDENCE – Gov. Gina M. Raimondo on Friday announced she will sign an executive order to officially begin Phase II of reopening Rhode Island on June 1.  

After successfully meeting her four benchmarks for continuing to reopen, including hospitalizations and the rate of infection, Raimondo said that she is confident the state is ready to move forward on reopening the economy after a three-week long Phase I.

Less than 30% of hospital beds in the state are filled and hospitalizations have been on a steady decline for the past month, according to the governor. The rate of spread, or R value, which calculates how many people one sick person infects, is currently at 0.7, which is below the 1.1 value goal to reopen. These metrics will be followed very closely throughout the second phase, according to Raimondo.

While June 1 will bring the reopening to many industries that have been closed since March, including casinos, indoor dining, gyms and fitness centers, pool clubs, offices and salons, visits to nursing homes and assisted-living facilities will remain forbidden.

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“We continue to struggle to get a handle on the virus in nursing homes,” said Raimondo. “In light of that fact, we will not be relaxing visitation in nursing homes or senior living centers. I hope that will change in Phase III.”

However, communal homes with people who are not sick or frail, such as DCYF Group homes, will allow visitations, but with strict guidelines, according to Raimondo.

R.I. Department of Health Dr. Nicole Alexander-Scott said the state is well into the third round of testing all staff members and residents of these elderly long-term living facilities.

Cases of COVID-19 identified in Rhode Island rose by 122 Thursday and now total 14,635, the R.I. Department of Health said Friday. 

The state also reported 16 more deaths due to the virus, bringing Rhode Island’s COVID-19 death toll to 693. Dr. Alexander-Scott said the age range of the deaths are from people in their 50s to those in their 90s, with the majority of them in their 70s and 80s.

Current hospitalizations due to COVID-19 were 219, a decline from 222 the day before. Of those hospitalized, 47 were in intensive care units, a decline from 53 the day before, and 33 were on ventilators, a three-patient decline from a day earlier. 

To date, 1,206 COVID-19 patients have been discharged from the hospital. 

The state conducted 3,226 tests on Thursday, bringing the state total to 146,455. CVS Health Corp.’s 10 new drive-thru testing sites were launched Friday. 

Raimondo said that businesses will not be allowed to open on Monday if they have not completed their COVID-19 Control Plan. She said that inspections will be frequent, and if businesses do not have a completed control plan, there will be consequences. However, if businesses who will be allowed to open on Monday, but aren’t ready to do so, she advices them to wait.

“If you’re not comfortable, then wait,” said Raimondo. “You know your communities best. Take it at your own pace.”

This story has been updated to include details from the governor’s press conference.

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