As Rhode Island’s economy begins to reopen, Governor Gina M. Raimondo said Tuesday that some communities with higher coronavirus infection rates may decide to take it slower than the rest of the state.
The second phase of the reopening is scheduled to begin on Monday, Raimondo said, and if all goes well it will include hair salons, barber shops, gyms, indoor dining and the rest of the state beaches.
But it will be up to the local leaders of each community, Raimondo said, whether to follow the state’s lead or take a more cautious approach. And that’s already happening. Last Friday, during a conference call with religious leaders, Raimondo said, some said they were not ready to reopen at the state’s new 25% capacity limit. (A group of religious leaders echoed that sentiment in a statement released Wednesday.)
“If I were a pastor in Central Falls, or certain parts of Providence or Woonsocket,’’ Raimondo said “…I might impose stricter regulations in light of what’s going on in that community.”
In Central Falls, the state’s smallest and poorest community, of the 16 percent of residents tested, 26% were positive for COVID-19, the highest rate in the state, according to state health data. That’s nearly three times the rate in Warwick, where 7% of the residents were tested and 9% of them were positive for the virus. (The rates are based on cumulative test data, so not all those who tested positive remain infected.)
And in Newport, where businesses are bracing for summer tourists, local leaders are considering requiring pedestrians in some areas of the city to wear masks.
It remains to be seen how the state’s patchwork of community practices will impact the trajectory of the virus. Though more densely-populated communities are generally harder hit by the virus than others, Raimondo said, “the virus is everywhere.” And she cautioned residents not to become complacent. “Just because you live in a less densely-populated community,’’ she said, “doesn’t mean you can go out without your mask.”
The state has not seen a spike in new cases or any major outbreak since the governor’s stay-at-home order expired on May 8, which Raimondo said is “excellent news.”
State health officials also are not seeing the “clusters” they have previously in manufacturing facilities, said the state’s health director, Dr. Nicole Alexander-Scott.
State health officials are working to get more people in high-risk communities tested for the virus, she said, to curb its spread.
Lynn Arditi, health reporter for The Public’s Radio, can be reached at larditi@thepublicsradio.org.
(This story was updated Wednesday at 3:22 PM.)
