Raimondo: I will shut down businesses that don’t comply

Raimondo says lights out for stores who fail to meet COVID restrictions

PROVIDENCE – Gov. Gina M. Raimondo Friday said retail stores and other businesses that fail to follow the state’s health and safety regulations during the first phase of the economy’s reopening, which starts today, could face fines and be shut down.

“I want to be clear. We’re not going to be out there trying to shut you down,” Raimondo said. “We’re going to be out there bending over backwards to help you stay open and to do it safely. But if you refuse and you’re continually non-compliant and you get fine after fine, we will have to shut you down. I hate the thought of that and I hope we never have to do it.”

Rhode Island is the first state in the northeast to lift its stay-at-home order. During the first phase of the state’s reopening, non-critical retail stores and other non-essential businesses that have been closed will be allowed to reopen in-person operations, but with capacity restrictions similar to how grocery stores are operating now.

At her daily COVID-19 response briefing yesterday, Raimondo said she will sign an executive order that lays out the rules around the phase one reopening as it relates to domestic travel, social gatherings, and businesses. She said she will sign a second order that allows Department of Health to enforce health and safety regulations on businesses, including graduated fines and the ability to shut down a business that is found to be non-compliant.

Raimondo said an enforcement task force made up of inspectors from the Department of Business Regulation, Department of Health and other

areas of government will be educating businesses on safety and conducting inspections to make sure regulations are being followed.

The lifting of the stay-athome order comes as state announces 11 new coronavirus-related deaths in Rhode Island and 249 new cases. There were 312 patients hospitalized as of yesterday with 71 patients in the ICU. Rhode Island now has a total of 10,779 cases and its virus-related death toll stands at 399.

Health Department Director Dr. Nicole Alexander-Scott said the latest deaths were two person in their 50s, six in their 70s, two in their 80s, and one in their 90s.

One person was a resident of the Rhode Island Veterans Home - the third COVID-19 related fatality at that facility this week.

In her remarks yesterday, Raimondo said it is vitally important that businesses follow the her new health and safety regulations during the first phase of the economy’s reopening.

“We want to encourage, enable and support voluntary compliance. That’s the name of the game,’” she said. “We’re not out to get anybody. We’re not out to be heavy-handed with enforcement. We’re out to help you keep yourself and your families safe and to help you keep your businesses open. That is why we need, expect and will enforce compliance.”

She also urged all Rhode Islanders to continue following the rules, including wearing face masks, keeping six feet away from people, staying home if sick and not crowding up in line or in the store. ” “I feel I’m governing from a place of confidence and strength in the people of Rhode Island. You know what is the right thing to do,” she said. “Just because we’re reopening the economy doesn’t mean the virus is going away. It’s still here. It’s still dangerous. We still don’t have a vaccine and we still don’t have great treatments.”

She said people who think they can “sneak around” the rules will only hurt themselves and others.

“Do not try to outfox or outrun the virus. Don’t think you’re invincible. Don’t think you can sneak around or not follow the rules and everything will be okay,” she said. “We know that’s not true. If you try to sneak around the rules bad things will happen.” During the briefing, Alexander-Scott said prevention measures are more critical now than ever.

“We’ve had all of this time during the stay-at-home order for people to get accustomed to what’s needed and how to do it and now is the time to really make sure we continue doing that as we go forward,” she said.

Raimondo Friday also reminded Rhode Islanders to keep social gatherings to no more than five people on Mother’s Day tomorrow.

“It’s not a time to have big family gatherings and it’s absolutely not a time to visit your mom in a nursing home or any assisted living facility,” she said. “I know it’s very hard, but its the right thing to do if we love our moms. Our moms have spent their whole lives taking care of us and making sure we’re all safe, so it’s our turn now to make sure we keep them and ourselves safe.”