PROVIDENCE – Businesses that resume operation during Phase 1 of the state’s economic reopening will be subject to inspections by state officials looking for compliance with new rules set to be signed into law on Friday.
Gov. Gina M. Raimondo made the announcement Friday during her daily press briefing.
The governor also said she is comfortable with Rhode Island being first out of the gate in the Northeast to lift its stay at home order.
The order is set to expire on Saturday, while a similar order in Connecticut remains in effect until May 20, and in Massachusetts until May 18.
“The fact is at this point, if you look at the data on the ground we’re doing better” than other states, Raimondo said.
Still, she urged restraint, noting that gatherings of more than five people are not allowed during Phase 1, a restriction that is likely to be especially burdensome this weekend on Mother’s Day.
Visitors are still banned at nursing homes and assisted living facilities, and family get-togethers should not be happening yet, the governor said.
“Figure out a way to love and cherish your mom,” without in-person visits, Raimondo said.
Cases of COVID-19 in Rhode Island increased by 249 on Thursday to total 2,948, the R.I. Department of Health said Friday.
Fatalities due to the disease increased by 11 to a total of 399.
One person who died was a resident at the Rhode Island Veterans Home in Bristol, where the COVID-19-related death toll is now three, said Rhode Island Health Director Nicole Alexander-Scott.
Overall, those who most recently died from the virus ranged in age from their 50s to their 90s.
Current hospitalizations due to COVID-19 totaled 312, a decline from 318 a day earlier. Of those hospitalized, 71 were in intensive care units, a decline from 82 on Wednesday, and 52 were on ventilators, a four-person decline day to day.
To date, 730 patients with COVID-19 have been discharged from the hospital.
Rhode Island conducted 2,948 tests Thursday, bringing the state total to 85,266.
Raimondo’s pending executive order lays out the rules for residents and businesses heading into Phase 1, and authorizes the R.I. Department of Health to enforce compliance by issuing fines or closing businesses.
A task force made up of representatives from the Department of Business Regulation, the health department and other state government agencies will inspect businesses that are open and dole out penalties to those not following the rules, Raimondo said.
“We want to encourage, enable and support voluntary compliance,” she said. “We’re not out to get anybody, we’re not out to be heavy-handed in enforcement… “We need, expect and will enforce compliance because that’s in the best interest of everyone.”
For state residents, Phase 1 allows for nonessential retail businesses to open, along with some state parks. Although the stay at home order is expected to lift, those who can continue to work at home should do so, face masks should be worn in public, social distancing is still in effect and travelers arriving in Rhode Island from other states and countries should quarantine themselves for 14 days.
“We’re going to be living with the virus for a while. It’s still here, it’s still dangerous, and we still don’t have great treatments,” Raimondo said. “It’s time to come on out, slowly, a step at a time.”
After facing criticism from council members and residents for initially not including golf courses in venues allowed to reopen Saturday, Providence Mayor Jorge O. Elorza on Friday announced that city courses can open pending approval of a safety plan from the parks and public safety commissioners.
This story has been updated to include details from the governor’s press conference.
