Rhode Island Governor Gina Raimondo made a sobering announcement on Wednesday, informing Rhode Islanders that large gathering would not be possible in the state this summer. Raimondo specifically named concerts and festivals as events that will be a no-go in the coming months. Also named as being must-cancel events are parades and the Newport Jazz and Folk Festivals. Dr. Nicole Alexander-Scott of the RI Dept. of Health says that the state is "going with the science," which shows that the there will still be very significant risk in holding any large scale events during the summer.
The governor also said that anyone planning a summer wedding larger than 50 people should plan to reschedule. Regarding questions about when churches services or smaller arts and theater events can resume, Raimondo asked for patience, stating that she will need more time and data in order to make decisions about such gatherings.
However, the governor says that she intends to stick with the plan to begin to lift certain aspects of her stay at home order, starting on May 9th. On Monday, Raimondo announced a three phase plan for reopening the state, starting on that date.
The news about the restrictions on summer events comes on a day when the number of new coronavirus cases and related deaths ticked up slightly. On Wednesday morning, the RI Department of Health reported 321 new cases and 12 new fatalities, both of which are significant increases from Tuesday's counts of 218 new cases and 6 deaths.
graphic/data: RIDOH