PROVIDENCE – As Phase 2 of Rhode Island’s reopening plan is slated to start Monday, Gov. Gina M. Raimondo addressed Thursday further details on how businesses will get restarted, including casinos, how summer youth sports will look like for the time being and more assistance for individuals facing dire financial straits in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The governor’s updates come as 22 new deaths and 124 additional positive COVID-19 cases were reported in the Ocean State Thursday by the R.I. Department of Health. A total of 677 people have died from the virus and R.I. Department of Health Chief Administrative Officer James McDonald said that the ages of the latest to succumb to COVID-19 range from a person in their 40s to their 90s.
Current hospitalizations increased slightly from the previous day from 218 to 222, the health department said. There are now 53 patients in intensive care – up by four from the day before – and 36 on ventilators, an increase of one. Eleven additional people have been discharged from the hospital, with that count now at 1,186.
The total number of positive cases in Rhode Island now stands at 14,494, the health department said, however the daily percentage of those testing positive continues to decline. Out of the 1,869 total tests conducted the previous day, only about 7% came back positive. Plus, the overall percentage of positive cases based on the 140,365 total tests conducted now stands at 10.3%.
Raimondo’s large business-related announcement came during questions from reporters when she said that Twin River Worldwide Holding Inc.’s two casinos in Lincoln and Tiverton, both of which have been fully shutdown since March, will reopen during Phase 2. Twin River’s Lincoln casino has been used only as a testing site.
The casinos will reopen in the middle of June and will note a specific date during her press conference Friday at 1 p.m. The casinos will reopen either June 8 or June 15, Raimondo said, but noted that “operational things” need to be done in order for the two casinos, which the state receives money from gaming revenue generated by them, to reopen safely.
Raimondo previously said she agreed with Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont’s public opposition to Foxwoods Resort Casino and Mohegan Sun reopening June 1 – which the casinos said would only allow Connecticut and Rhode Island residents inside. However, those two casinos are on sovereign Indian reservations and Lamont has “no public authority” to set a reopen date for them, Raimondo said – unlike Rhode Island.
Raimondo said there will be “many changes” for various businesses, like retail, restaurants, hair salons, tattoo parlors and workout facilities when she intends to start Phase 2 after this weekend. Restaurant capacity indoors will be at 50%, Raimondo said, and reservations are required. Self-service food options, such as buffets and salad bars, standing service at bars and standalone bars that don’t serve food will not be allowed to open during Phase 2.
“We have to make sure we don’t allow congregation,” Raimondo said in saying why bar locations can’t reopen starting Monday. She also said there will be capacity restrictions inside barber shops and hair salons “at any one time,” also requiring to make reservations for haircuts or other personal services and is discouraging using waiting areas in order to limit congregations.
Restaurants and hair salons/barber shops must ask for customers’ names and phone numbers – not addresses – in the event that if an outbreak occurs at an establishment, R.I. Department of Health can notify customers who were there, Raimondo said. Increased cleaning measures will also be required as well, the governor said, and mask-wearing will be required by both customers and hair stylists.
“It’s going to be very unusual … and not as pleasurable as it normally is,” Raimondo said. “But, it’s hopefully only a month and it will allow us to get back out there and allow hair salons and restaurants to get back into business.”
The governor continued to emphasize that residents need to keep their social circles limited – groups will be limited to 15 people starting Monday – along with wearing masks and remaining six feet apart with additional businesses coming back online at some capacity.
“The more we reopen the economy, the more important it is to follow the rules,” Raimondo said, also noting full details will be listed on ReopeningRI.com by the end of the day Thursday.
Youth sports will also have new guidelines for Phase 2 starting Monday, where sports can be held provided that the same groups of no more than 15 children remain together. Raimondo said sports can be held in a scrimmage form but leagues and tournaments cannot take place during Phase 2.
However, the governor hopes such leagues and tournaments can take place in Phase 3 – which is tentatively set to start in July – if health scenarios call for it. The guidelines for youth sports also applies to adult sports, Raimondo said when asked by a reporter.
Raimondo also said the R.I. Department of Environmental Management is offering assistance to sports organizations to obtain additional sports equipment for use.
More financial assistance will be provided to individuals who are late in paying their bills and/or rent due to financial hardships caused by the pandemic. The state made an additional $5 million in rental assistance for residents. Three weeks ago, $1.5 million in assistance was offered to “hundreds of families in need,” Raimondo said, but it was depleted “quite quickly,” hence the need to add more funding to the program. Each resident can receive up to $5,000 in assistance if they qualify and can visit HousinghelpRI.com for additional details.
Regarding evictions, Raimondo said courts in Rhode Island will commence dealing with evictions that started before March 17 – the day the state shuttered operations due to the pandemic – on June 1. Any COVID-19-related evictions will not be handled before July 1.
R.I. Director of Administration Brett Smiley noted that about $150 million of the $1.25 billion Rhode Island received in federal coronavirus relief assistance, which is to be spent on immediate needs – testing, contact tracing, food delivery, etc. – have either been spent or encumbered by the state. Raimondo also said a transparency portal will be live next week to show how the funds from this assistance will be spent, and intends on spending the “vast bulk” of it on testing and other immediate needs but budgeted over a year.
“We have to make sure we maintain all of this [funding] until next June 1,” Raimondo said.
She said she is “hopeful” Congress can send states more stimulus funding, but one option being considered is allowing flexibility for the state to use part of the $1.25 billion to close its budget gap – which is projected to be more than $800 million.
Raimondo is still encouraging residents to download the state’s Crush COVID RI contact-tracing app to help with the pandemic. So far, 38,000 people have downloaded the app, Raimondo said.
This story has been updated to include details from the governor’s press conference.
