Raimondo outlines Phase III reopening plans; no date yet

Updated at 2:30 p.m. on June 19, 2020.

DEATHS DUE to COVID-19 in the state have totaled 894 to date. / COURTESY R.I. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH
DEATHS DUE to COVID-19 in the state have totaled 894 to date. / COURTESY R.I. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH

PROVIDENCE – Gov. Gina M. Raimondo announced plans for Phase III of Rhode Island’s reopening on Friday, where social gathering limits will rise by a range of 50 to 75 for indoor events and 75 to 150 for outdoor events.

“The lower the number, the lower the risk,” said the governor, but did not hint at a date of when Phase III will begin.

Raimondo said these events should be a gathering of people that know each other and are friends and family, such as weddings, for the most part.

The governor’s executive order on Phase II lasts through June 29. However, after a number of Black Lives Matters protests brought thousands of Rhode Islanders together, she said she will continue to examine the data, and if there is a rise in new cases or hospitalizations, she will slow the transition to Phase III.

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The approach to both Phase I and Phase II of reopening Rhode Island’s economy has typically been the state posting mandates, listed by industry and business type, on the ReopeningRI.com website. However, she said the approach the state has for Phase III is giving businesses the ability to make judgments on their own with few guidelines.

“We are going to trust you to do the right thing,” said Raimondo, who announced that nearly everything will open during this next phase. “I want to get out of the business of telling everyone what to do and exactly how to do it.”

“We could be living with coronavirus for a year or more.”

The governor said that all indoor settings that are currently operating at a square footage capacity can increase one person for every 100 square feet, and those indoor settings operating at a percent capacity, such as restaurants or places of worship, can operate at a 2/3 capacity limit during Phase III.

Childcare guidelines will change in Phase III by increasing group sizes from stable groups of 10 to stable groups of 20.

In addition, all indoor venues that remained closed during Phase II can now open. These spaces include bowling alleys, movie theaters, performance venues and arcades at up to a 66% capacity limit. The announcement comes after R1 Indoor Karting’s reopened this past week with a limited capacity before Phase III was even previewed.

R.I. Secretary of Commerce Stefan Pryor said he would not comment on individual businesses when asked about R1’s reopening by a Providence Business News reporter at the briefing. Instead, he advised that such businesses will be able to open on June 29.

“My approach this entire time is not to be heavy handed,” said Raimondo during her briefing. “And we are not going to take a heavy-handed approach.”

The governor said that parks and outdoor theaters will no longer have a cap on the number of people that can be present at that setting at one time. However, if there is an organized outdoor event, such as a festival, that go above 250 people at once, Raimondo advices to get in touch with the state.

RHODE ISLAND has released guidance on what will be allowed in the state during Phase III of reopening from COVID-19-related shutdowns. / COURTESY RHODE ISLAND

“We are here to help. We are not here to be heavy-handed in enforcement,” said Raimondo.

Raimondo said the R.I. Department of Health is working on plans to have visits in nursing homes in this upcoming phase. She said more details will be announced during one of her coronavirus daily briefings next week, which will be health on Monday, Wednesday and Friday.

The governor said there will be full school guidelines for cities and towns by the end of the day on ReopeningRI.com website. She said the main principles of the school guidelines are about health and safety, transparency, equity, and listening.

“If your child has the sniffles, they will continue to receive instruction virtually,” said Angelica Infante-Green, the Commissioner of Elementary and Secondary Education for the state.

Public elementary and middle schools will have to have stable groups of 30 or fewer. If more than one stable group is congregating in the same space, such as a cafeteria, then they have to be 14 feet apart.

Raimondo said she is “counting on” high school students to keep wearing masks and keep stable groups whenever possible. In addition, Raimondo said schools will have to have a number of contingency plans, even though the goal is full in-person learning for every student.

But, in case of an outbreak at a specific school, the governor said they will then revert to distance learning, not shut down the entire state.

Contingency plans from school districts for full, in-person learning, partial in-person learning and limited in-person learning are expected to be outlined in a school reopening plan to the state by July 17, according to Infante-Green. She also said that private school are also being asked to submit their plans by July 31, not to the R.I. Department of Education, but needs to be ready to show them to R.I. Department of Health.

Raimondo also previewed an upcoming fourth phase, which is planned for August if all goes well during the next month, which would allow social gatherings and weddings up to 100 people congregated inside or 250 people outside.

Raimondo’s briefing comes as there were 68 new cases of COVID-19 in Rhode Island on Thursday, totaling 16,337 to date, the R.I. Department of Health said Friday.

The state reported nine new fatalities due to the virus, bringing the state COVID-19 death toll to 894. 

“I cannot wait for the day that I can get up here and report no deaths,” said Raimondo.

R.I. Department of Health Director Dr. Nicole Alexander-Scott said out of the deaths, one person was in their 60s, one in their 70s, three in their 80s and four people were in their 90s.

There were 123 current hospitalizations of COVID-19 patients, a decline from 126 one day prior. Of those hospitalized, 23 were in intensive care units and 12 were on ventilators. To date, 1,515 COVID-19 patients have been discharged from the hospital in Rhode Island. 

There were 2,996 tests for the virus conducted Thursday, making the state positivity rate 2.3%. 

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

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