RI Governor: No Plans To Order Shelter In Place

PROVIDENCE, RI —Gov. Gina Raimondo said she has "no plans" execute a shelter-in-place or lockdown order in Rhode Island but may have to put new restrictions in place in the coming days.

"Please ignore the rumors that I’m going to institute some sort of a radical lockdown," Raimondo said Saturday afternoon. "There are going to be additional restrictions in the coming days, but this is a fluid situation....Right now we have some semblance of an economy."

Rhode Island Department of Health Director Dr. Nicole Alexander-Scott declined to offer specifics when asked for best and worst case scenarios on how many Rhode Islanders would contract COVID-19, or how long social distancing orders will stay in place. She said the state was continuing to work on projections with epidemiologists.

"It's premature to say because we have so few cases," Raimondo said. "It's not that we're trying to withhold information from the public. We're continuing to work on those models."

Raimondo also said Saturday she has not made a decision on whether to delay the state's primary to June 28 to April 28, as the state election board had recommended. Raimondo favors keeping the same date with mail-in ballots. "Certainly any election in the middle of this crisis will be different," she said.

Other COVID-19 developments in Rhode Island Saturday:

• Also on Saturday, Raimondo said restaurants and bars in Rhode Island can now start serving takeout beer and wine. She warned restaurants again that law enforcement officials will shutdown any restaurant seen serving eat-in customers.
• The state reported 12 new coronavirus cases Saturday, bringing the RhodeIsland's total to 66. Three of the new patients have been hospitalized. "Right now most of our cases are travel related," Raimondo said.
• Raimondo signed an executive order Friday extending the timeframe to complete firearms background checks to 30 days from seven days."The purpose is to free our police departments to do their work," she said.
• Raimondo said Saturday her decision to activate the National Guard should not be a cause for concern. She said National Guard members have been helping with logistics and delivering coronavirus testing kits.
• The state will implement new restrictions for cruise ships entering Rhode Island waters.
• Rhode Island State Police James Manni yesterday said police across the state are seeing significant decreases in highway traffic as people follow orders to limit trips outside of home.

Raimondo said it was crucial for residents to continue social distancing and, if they develop symptoms, self isolate.

"This weekend really matters. Next week really matters," Raimondo said. "This moment now, these next days, are absolutely critical...I am imploring you no matter how hard it is, how important you think that meeting is, please do not do it."