RI Restart: Raimondo Details State Reboot

WARWICK, RI — Despite a weekend uptick in COVID-19 cases, Gov. Gina Raimondo credited Rhode Islanders’ actions wearing masks and social distancing with contributing to an apparent plateau, and detailed her RI restart plan to re-open the state economy.

“You should feel personally responsible for having contributed to these great results,” Raimondo said during her daily COVID-19 State House update April 27.

Raimondo noted the unfortunate uptick in new cases over the weekend, with 288 hospitalizations due to COVID-19, 81 hospitalizations and 56 on a ventilator. There are currently 7,708 confirmed cases of COVID-19, 269 of them recorded today, and 7 new deaths from COVID019, for 233 total fatalities. All seven of the deaths occurred at congregate living areas, such as nursing homes, according to RI Department of Health Director Dr. Nicole Alexander-Scott.

Re-starting RI’s economy

“I will do whatever it takes to stand this economy back up,” Raimondo said, noting that the shutdown and its re-start are both unprecedented.

Doing that will require the public’s help in continuing to maintain social distancing and stay-home practices during the next two weeks leading up to Raimondo’s May 8 limit on the stay-home order. Should Raimondo be able to lift the stay-home order May 9, she said, the state will begin the first phase of the three-phase plan, posted on reopeningri.com. That will entail:

• Increasing group limits from 5 to 10 people
• Office-based businesses will have to continue work-from-home operation. “However, we’re going to begin allowing some limited number of employees back on site, under new guidelines,” Raimondo said.
• Working parents will have limited options for child care with strong social distancing in place, with slots limited, with availability slowly growing.

Raimondo stressed the incremental nature of the plan.

“I want you to start getting your head around that. This is not May 9th, everyone goes back to work,” Raimondo said.

Additional elements of this phase include:

Some parks begin to reopen with strong social distancing guidelines.

• Elective medical procedures resume under new safety protocols.
• Primary care and community health providers remain open. Other allied health professions reopen with updated safety protocols (i.e. physical therapists, behavioral therapists, etc.). Pilot reopening of dentists’ offices under strict new regulations. • Limited childcare options are available with strong social distancing guidelines.
• School buildings remain closed, and distance learning continues.
• Retail locations allow in-store pickup of pre-orders. There is potential for allowing browsing under new restrictions.
• Offices should emphasize remote work but can allow limited numbers of employees on site in accordance with new guidelines. • Restaurants remain open for pickup, delivery, and drive-through (with offerings modestly expanded). Pilots of seated dining begin, including outdoor dining.
• Pilot openings of hair salons and barbers begin with significant restrictions to protect public health and safety.
• Manufacturers and construction sites continue operations under existing and evolving guidance.

Raimondo said that when things begin to open again, business and social life is going to remain noticeably different, and social distancing rules and persona face masks will remain a part of life.

If, throughout any of the phases, you find yourself in a crowd of people, “You’re doing something wrong.”

Requirements for starting the progressing through reopening plan

Moving to the first phase, and to the successive phases, will require:

• A 14-day downward trend in the number of cases OR
• A 14-day trend in stable or declining hospitalizations.

• We also must:

• Be capable of identifying community spread through:

• Testing all symptomatic people within 48-72 hours and running consistent random sample testing.

• Ensuring all communities in RI have access to testing, especially those that have been disproportionately impacted.

• Ensuring the overwhelming majority of contact tracing and case investigation is complete in 24 hours.

• Meet the overwhelming majority of needs for those in quarantine and isolation.

• Have at least 30% of ICU beds open and sufficient PPE to protect healthcare workers.

• Have developed appropriate workplace guidance and regulations to support sectors in safely reopening.

• Be prepared to use a data-based approach to assess trends and determine if restrictions need to be reinstated.

The full plan is available here: Reopening-RI-Plan-COVID-19