PROVIDENCE – Catered events, including weddings, will have more flexibility to add people starting Friday, according to the R.I. Department of Health. The relaxation of requirements for crowd size comes as the state has seen recent improvements in infections and hospitalizations with COVID-19.
The state also will provide more latitude for businesses in offices to add workers and for indoor recreation businesses, such as yoga studios and gyms, to invite more patrons inside.
Your Business Has Gone Global. Has Your Insurance?
A decade ago, “doing business internationally” was mostly a large-company concern. Today, a manufacturer in…
Learn More
“With the recent improvements in the public health landscape, we sought ways in which we could incrementally improve conditions and open up for business activity,” said Stefan Pryor, the R.I. Commerce Secretary.
If new strains of COVID-19 arrive that are more highly infectious, state officials cautioned that the additional capacities may be rolled back.
The capacity increases are the first for the events industry since November. And they come as neighboring Massachusetts also loosens its capacity restrictions. On Thursday, Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker announced that, effective Feb. 8, the Bay State would increase capacity on businesses including restaurants and gyms.
In Rhode Island, starting Friday:
Catered events will have an indoor capacity of 30, up from 15. Outdoor catered events may have 50 people. Provisions will be added, including that pre-testing is on-site for all attendees and that each event have a COVID-19 safety officer. The protocols for that will be released soon by the state.
Restaurant spacing requirements will apply to those events, including no seating at bar areas.
In addition to all of those requirements for catered events, weddings will be allowed to have up to 50 people. “We know the event industry centers on weddings,” Pryor said.
For indoor dining at restaurants, two households may now be seated at tables, up from a single household.
Outdoor dining may have three households and up to eight people at a table.
For offices, 33% of the workers may return, Pryor said, but the state is continuing to encourage office managers and owners to have people work from home where it is possible.
Gyms and sports facilities, including small studios, may now have additional capacity. They are allowed to admit one person per 125 square-feet of space, rather than 1 person per 150 square-feet. In addition, the 14-foot separation for guests and clients can be reduced to a six-foot separation.
In a response, the Rhode Island Hospitality Association thanked the state officials for the increased capacities, calling them “baby steps” toward fewer restrictions on business. But the association’s executive said the industry continues to need more flexibility on the use of the bar areas, which are still off-limits.
Mary MacDonald is a staff writer for the PBN. Contact her at macdonald@pbn.com.
