[Summit] The Shape of Phase II – from Gov. Raimondo, Mayor Elorza,, John Gonçalves (Ward 1) & Fed. Hill Commerce Ass'n [Covid News no. 258]

Fri May 22 23:47:31 UTC 2020

   ----- Forwarded Message ----- From: Gina Raimondo <communications at governor.ri.gov>To: "davidjkolsky at yahoo.com" <davidjkolsky at yahoo.com>Sent: Subject: Phase Two is scheduled to start June 1st. Here's what will change.

| News about Rhode Island's COVID-19 response |
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| Hi David,
For a few weeks now, we’ve been testing the waters of reopening. We are happy so far with the results that we’re seeing, but we are being cautious not to go too fast. As of right now, our current set of restrictions is set to expire on June 1st. I know that these last three months have been difficult, but because of the hard work of thousands of Rhode Islanders, we are now looking at moving to Phase Two when the current restrictions lift. In Phase Two, we’re going to be navigating our way forward. Our focus is on getting more Rhode Islanders back to work while continuing to prioritize public health and safety. Everything is still going to feel different – but most sectors of the economy will see some form of reopening, and we’re going to get back to doing a lot of the things we’ve missed. Today, I want to talk about what life looks like in Phase Two. |

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   - Social Gatherings: I know how hard it’s been to be away from our families and friends for months. Video calls are great, but they don’t replace in-person interaction. In Phase Two, the social gathering limit will be 15 people. While that's a big change, the rules around it are still the same: you still need to practice social distancing, you still need to wear your face covering, and you shouldn’t be seeing a different 15 people every day. I know that we're all anxious to reunite with your friends and family, but we need to take it slowly as we start to get together with the people we’ve missed.

   - Travel: As we approach the summer months, how we'll handle travel is a question on everyone’s mind. In Phase Two, the travel restrictions will largely lift – with some important distinctions. The 14-day quarantine will only be in place for those returning to Rhode Island from an area still under stay-at-home order or similar type of restriction.

   - Restaurants: Our restaurant industry has been among the hardest hit over these past few months. We’ve worked hard to ensure restaurants can stay open for takeout, delivery, and outdoor dining. In Phase Two, we’re going to allow indoor dining at up to 50% capacity. There will still be many other restrictions in place around cleaning, common areas, mask wearing and spacing out tables. Going out to dinner will still feel different, but we’ll be finding ways to get back to business. 

   - Retail: In Phase Two, we’ll be continue to relax capacity restrictions so more people will be allowed in a store at one time. We’ll also be allowing malls to reopen – again, with restrictions. We can’t allow large groups to congregate in open areas. That means you won’t be able to gather in a food court or hang out in large groups in common spaces, but more of the retails stores we miss will be allowed to open. 

   - Offices: Rhode Island's businesses have done an incredible job adapting to the circumstances with teleworking, video meetings, conference calls and more. We still want everyone who can work from home to do so. In Phase Two, if it is necessary that some of your workforce be on-site, business can allow up to 1/3 of their workforce to return. Everyone is going to have to continue taking precautions around cleaning, screening, social distancing, and most importantly, staying home if you’re sick and completing a coronavirus control plan template.

   - Haircare and Personal Services: In Phase 2, hair services including barbershops, salons, and hair braiders will all reopen with capacity restrictions. In addition, lots of other personal close-contact services – nailcare, waxing, tanning, massage, tattoos – will reopen. The person performing the services will have to wear a mask, and the customer will have to wear a mask as long as practically possible. Customers should make appointments so we can avoid crowded waiting areas . Customers will have to space out, and cleaning will be very important.

   - Gyms and Fitness Studios: Staying active and healthy is so important. In Phase Two, gyms and fitness studios will reopen with restrictions. Group fitness classes will also be allowed to resume. The name of the game is going to be maintaining your social distance, keeping your group consistent and planning ahead. We’re asking fitness centers to go with a reservation system so they can prevent overcrowding and keep people socially distant. If you take a class, you should stay with the same consistent group.

   - Outdoor Entertainment and Recreation: This virus thrives in crowded spaces, and so we still need to wait to reopen things like theaters and concert halls – places where maintaining social distancing is really challenging. However, we know it’s a lot easier to keep people spaced out when we’re outside and that the virus also doesn’t spread the same way outside. In phase 2 we can start to allow outdoor activities to come back. This includes things like going to the zoo and outdoor activities such as mini golf and boat rentals, and visits to areas such as public gardens and the outdoor ground of historical sites.
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| To stay up to date with Rhode Island's latest COVID-19 statistics, please check the Department of Health's new data dashboard for all the information you need about the spread of coronavirus in Rhode Island.

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RI Department of Health COVID-19 Response Data Hub

This is the Rhode Island Department of Health's Data Hub Site for the COVID-19 Epidemic.
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| It's important that every reopening business – and every business that is continuing operations – completes a COVID-19 control plan. This plan will ensure that you’ve digested the public health guidance, that you’ve tailored the guidance to your business, that you’re prepared to open. We have a template for this control plan on our www.reopeningri.com website. 

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Reopening Rhode Island | Rhode Island's Phased COVID-19 Plan

Access Rhode Island's phased plan to reopening the state, find COVID-19 information and resources, and receive l...
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There’s a lot of change in Phase Two, and that’s exciting. We have a lot to look forward to. But I want to be mindful that this virus is still very much with us. This Memorial Day weekend is NOT the start of Phase 2. If we go out and act like it is, that only jeopardizes our progress. I’m telling you now what’s coming because our businesses need time to prepare and Rhode Islanders deserve to know what’s coming down the pike. But we need everyone to do the right thing and hold on a little longer. We can’t afford to go backwards
We're all in this together.
-Gina RaimondoGovernor
P.S.: Information is our greatest weapon in the fight against COVID-19, If you or someone you know wants to sign up to receive these emails, you can use this link.

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|  Governor's Office | 82 Smith Street, Providence, RI 02903  |
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May 22, 2020
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Dear neighbor –

Providence is known throughout the country for our artistic community, creative local economy and especially our world class culinary scene. COVID-19 has hit our small businesses hard, but our city has always come together to repair, rebuild, and reemerge stronger when faced with incredible challenges.

We have already begun to reimagine the #PVD experience through #RethinkPVD, a campaign to help reopen our local economy during this time. Following guidance from the state, some local restaurants have resumed outdoor dining by reservation only this week. Restaurants interested in outdoor dining should apply today at www.ReThinkPVD.com. For those considering creative expansions beyond their property, for designated take-out spaces or to creatively use nearby public space you can apply for a no-cost license through the City here.

We also announced that starting today there will be free two-hour parking throughout our business corridors. We know that our businesses have gone to great lengths to reopen safely and we want to support them during that process. For a full list of where free two-hour parking is offered visit www.ReThinkPVD.com.

For those interested in outdoor dining experiences in the City, GoProvidence has compiled a list of all local restaurants with outdoor service in addition to their list of local restaurants offering takeout and delivery. Those restaurants offering outside service will be following the state’s reopening guidelines, which include requirements for cleaning and disinfection, social distancing, wearing face masks when out in public, among others. For more info about the plan to gradually reopen our state’s economy, please visit the Rhode Island Commerce website.

Stay up to date with the City’s operations, external resources responding to COVID-19, current small business supports and best practices you can share, by visiting our website. You can also call to connect to the Mayor’s Center for City Services by dialing 3-1-1, visiting www.PVD311.com or downloading the PVD311 mobile app on your smart phone for 24/7 access.

Residents can register to receive CodeRED emergency notifications by phone, email, text, and/or mobile alerts for the latest updates from the City and to reach out to the Rhode Island Department of Health's COVID-19 Assistance Line at 401-222-8022 Monday through Friday during regular business hours should they have additional questions.

Sincerely,

Jorge O. Elorza
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Below are the updates from Governor Raimondo's 1:00 pm press briefing for Friday, May 22nd.   
   - There have been 33 more fatalities due to COVID-19 in Rhode Island. This brings the total number of deaths to 579.
   - There are 170 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Rhode Island. This brings the state total to There are currently 242 Rhode Islanders in the hospital with 56 in intensive care.
   - There are currently 4,445 cases of COVID-19 in Rhode Island.
   - Governor Raimondo has announced her intention to move on to Phase 2 on June 1st.
   - In Phase 2, most sectors will be able to reopen under new guidelines and regulations. Below are some of the details that Governor Raimondo shared.
  *   All state parks and beaches will be opened with limited parking and social distancing guidelines  *   Childcare will be allowed to open on June 1st  *    Houses of Worship will be allowed to open May 30th.  *   The social gathering limit will be raised to 15 people on June 1st  *   Travel restrictions will be lifted, except in the case of international travel or for people who have traveled to Rhode Island from a state in which a stay at home order is still in place.  *   Restaurants will be allowed to open for indoor and outdoor dining at up to 50% capacity on June 1st.  *   Offices will be allowed to bring up to 1/3 of their workforce back into the office  *   Hairdressers, barbers, nail salons, tanning salons, tattoo parlors, massage parlors and other similar businesses will be allowed to reopen  *   Some outdoor activities will be brought back such as the reopening of the Roger Williams Zoo   
   - Of course, there will be many guidelines and restrictions in place as all of these places reopen. Details will be shared on Tuesday on https://www.reopeningri.com/
   - It is important for Rhode Islanders to remember that these phase 2 plans do not begin until June 1st, and for the next 9 days it is very important to continue following the guidelines of phase 1.
   - Since it launched two days ago, 25,000 Rhode Islanders have downloaded the Crushing COVID RI app. Governor Raimondo reiterated that the privacy of all users is a priority.
   - Summer camps in Rhode Island are on track to start up on June 29th. There will be significant guidelines such as limiting groups to 15 children and daily screenings of children. Full guidelines will be posted on https://www.reopeningri.com/

Reopening Rhode Island | Rhode Island's Phased COVID-19 PlanAccess Rhode Island's phased plan to reopening the state, find COVID-19 information and resources, and receive l...

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Hello, Some quick important updates to share. We will have much more details on several fronts after the Holiday Weekend.
Parking Meters: the Mayor has declared a parking holiday from now until the end of July for free 2 hour parking.
Phase 1: A reminder for outdoor dining. Whether you are sending servers to the table or guests can just take there own food to it the table must be 8 feet apart. Tables can only be in service until 11pm. Twenty tables are the current maximum.
Phase 2: Thanks to our efforts this Phase will begin June 1. Inside seating will happen with 50% capacity and no limit on outdoors. Bar service can come back. The restriction to each of these is being finalized and will be out soon.
Street Closure: stay tuned for the final plans on this.
Thank you and stay safe.

Rick SimonePresident - EGN Consulting401-480-6483
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| Federal Hill Commerce Asscociation | 498 Broadway, Providence, RI 02909 |

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