Raimondo announces end of pause, more-relaxed restrictions to begin Monday

PROVIDENCE – After three weeks of tight restrictions to help limit the spread of COVID-19, Gov. Gina M. Raimondo announced Friday that the ‘pause’ period will end Dec. 20, as planned.

The new guidance, which was first announced last week, will take effect on Dec. 21. Indoor recreation facilities, gyms, sports facilities and venues of assembly will all be able to reopen, but with restrictions.

One person will be allowed per 150 square feet in gyms, sports facilities and indoor recreational facilities. Venues of assembly will be allowed to reopen with 25% capacity or maximum of 125 people.

Bally’s Corp. also said that its two Rhode Island casinos will also reopen Dec. 21.

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Restaurants will also be able to increase indoor capacity from 33% to 50%, but tables will still be limited to household. Bar areas will remain closed.

The governor said the pause period, which went from two weeks to three because of the continued increase in COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations in the state after Thanksgiving, did limit mobility.

Raimondo said the R-value, which is the rate of spread, has been steadily decreasing since the pause. She said the current R value is one, which means that one COVID-19 infected person is infecting only one other person, on average. She said the R value reached two or three at one point.

“There’s a lot that we can’t control,”said Raimondo during her weekly coronavirus briefing. “But there’s a lot that we can control.”

With the Christmas holiday less than a week away, Raimondo warned that Rhode Islanders should celebrate between households to further prevent the spread of the virus.

She said all social gatherings are still limited to households.

“We’re asking you to celebrate [for Christmas] with the people you live with,” said the governor. “For this year, please keep it local, keep it small, and hang out with the people you live with.”

Raimondo said there will be no midnight Mass at the Cathedral this year. Instead, there will be extra Masses on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day so people can be more spread out, and additional virtual options.

Raimondo said guidance for specific industries will be uploaded on ReopeningRI.com.

The news comes as 1,226 Rhode Islanders received their first dose of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine. The majority of these people are frontline health care workers that provide direct care.

Alexa Gagosz is a PBN staff writer. Contact her at Gagosz@PBN.com. You may also follow her on Twitter at @AlexaGagosz.