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Raimondo Extends Pandemic Limits Till June 1

[CREDIT: Rob Borkowski] The RI State House. RIDOH warns COVID-19 masks are a must as spread is likely outside the home. Gov. Raimondo also announced new small business aid through a $10M loan program with Goldman Sachs.
[CREDIT: Rob Borkowski] The RI State House. RIDOH warns COVID-19 masks are a must as spread is likely outside the home. Gov. Raimondo also announced new small business aid through a $10M loan program with Goldman Sachs.
[CREDIT: Rob Borkowski] The RI State House. RIDOH warns COVID-19 masks are a must as spread is likely outside the home.

PROVIDENCE  — On Friday, Gov. Gina M. Raimondo signed an executive order extending all current pandemic limits – including the five-person group limit, the mandatory 14-day quarantine for anyone coming to RI from another state, and all of the current business and restaurant  limits – until June 1.

The Governor has also announced new information for Phase 2 in a gradual move toward what she has termed a “new normal” set of social and business conditions intended to limit spread of the cornonavirus that causes COVID-19, a deadly respiratory illness for which there remains no proven effective cure, vaccine, or treatment.

During the next phase, according to the state’s plan, the following changes will be made to social and business restrictions:

  • Social gatherings: The social gathering size will be 15 people.
  • Travel: Domestic restrictions will largely lift. The 14-day quarantine will only be in place for people returning to Rhode Island from an area still under stay-at-home order or another similar type of restriction.
  • Restaurants and Retail: Indoor dining will be allowed at up to 50% capacity. Capacity restrictions for non-critical retail will be relaxed and malls will be allowed to reopen.
  • Offices: Those who can work from home should continue to do so. Businesses will be allowed to bring one third of their workforce back to the office.
  • Haircare and Personal Services: Hair services including barbershops, salons, and hair braiders will all be able to reopen with capacity restrictions. In addition, many other close-contact services – nailcare, waxing, tanning, massage, and tattooing – will also be able to reopen under new restrictions.
  • Gyms and Fitness Studios: Gyms and fitness studios will be able to reopen with restrictions. Group fitness classes will also be allowed to resume.
  • Outdoor entertainment and recreation: Some outdoor activities will be allowed to resume. This includes things like the zoo and outdoor areas like public gardens and parts of historical sites.

More information on what to expect in Phase 2 is available on the state’s website, reopeningRI.com.

Rob Borkowski
Author: Rob Borkowski

Rob has worked as reporter and editor for several publications, including The Kent County Daily Times and Coventry Courier, before working for Gatehouse in MA then moving home with Patch Media. Now he's publisher and editor of WarwickPost.com. Contact him at [email protected] with tips, press releases, advertising inquiries, and concerns.

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