At her daily briefing on Monday, Governor Gina Raimondo said that the state is on track to fulfill her goal of lifting her "stay at Home" order on May 9th. To that end, she announced what she calls a "rough outline" of the state's reopening. The three phase plan is posted on a new website: www.reopeningri.com and will be updated as its execution progresses. (Summary slide above)
According to the site,Phase One of the plan includes:The stay at home order is lifted, but social gatherings are limited to 10 people. Older adults (65+) and those with underlying health conditions can go to work and go out for food or medicine. But in accordance with federal public health guidance, vulnerable individuals are strongly encouraged to otherwise stay home. Masks, vigilant hand-washing and increased cleaning must remain in place.
In addition, Phase 1 includes:
• 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
PHASE II: NAVIGATING OUR WAY
- In the second phase, we can look forward to more businesses reopening and restrictions being further relaxed.
- Expanded childcare options will be available under strict public health guidelines.
- More restaurants, retail and close-contact businesses like hair and nail salons may open.
- Additional recreational options will likely return including more parks and beaches, but restrictions remain.
- Social gathering limits increase to 15 people.
- Older adults (65+) and those with underlying health conditions can go to work and go out for food or medicine. But in accordance with federal public health guidance, vulnerable individuals are still strongly encouraged to otherwise stay home.
- Masks, vigilant handwashing and increased cleaning must remain in place.
- Offices will ease capacity restrictions allowing more people to come in, but many people will still work from home.
- All activities must account for strong social distancing guidelines of remaining 6-feet apart.
PHASE III: PICKING UP SPEED
- In the third phase, we’ll build on our learning from the first two phases.
- We can look forward to schools opening with restrictions and seeing more of our families and friends.
- Offices, restaurants, retail and other businesses will lift some of the tightest restrictions to allow more people in at one time but will need to operate under long-term safety guidelines.
- Social gatherings are limited to 50 people.
- Older adults (65+) and those with underlying health conditions are no longer strongly encouraged to stay home. These individuals are reminded to exercise significant caution in public.
- Masks, vigilant hand-washing and increased cleaning must remain in place.
- Working from home is still encouraged where possible but more people will return to the workplace.
- All activities must account for strong social distancing guidelines of remaining 6-feet apart
BEYOND PHASE III
- Gathering and working restrictions will further relax.
- Additional businesses will open, and more group activities will be allowed.
- Along the way, we’ll innovate as we challenge ourselves to find new and better ways of operating and living.
To move between phases, we must see in each phase:
• 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.
Phase IV: We Land
THE GOAL Eventually we’ll land, with the storm well behind us; stronger for having gotten through it together.
All data and graphics courtesy of www.reopeningri.com .