Raimondo recaps Fourth of July precautions, business compliance and visitation to nursing homes and hospitals

PROVIDENCE, RI (WLNE) – Governor Raimondo provided a recap of the Fourth of July weekend in the state and touched on what tourists should be doing when visiting Rhode Island this summer. She also spoke about rules for nursing home and hospital visitation, which begin Wednesday. 

With cases rising in states across the country, Raimondo asks Rhode Islanders to stay focused on what is happening here. The state continues to trend in the right direction, recording 41 new cases and two deaths since Tuesday. 

The governor recapped the Fourth of July weekend. She reiterated that she was hesitant and concerned as we entered the weekend, but “by in large I feel good about what I saw.” The beaches were busy over the weekend, but never reached capacity. RI DEM passed out thousands of masks to beach and park guests and overall saw better mask compliance. 

In addition, business inspectors checked on hundreds of restaurants and retail shops. Inspectors saw customers doing the right things. Raimondo proudly announced, “there was more than 95 percent compliance in businesses with high touch cleaning.”  Many businesses have also made hand washing and sanitizing widely available. 

One thing the governor requests is for restaurants to work on and be better about is taking down names and numbers of reservation parties to increase contact tracing efforts. Better compliance is needed with this process in order to be able to call restaurant guests who may have potentially been exposed to the virus. 

Raimondo reminded everyone that the virus spreads and thrives when people are too close together, both indoors and outdoors. If guests experience crowding, leave. She also reiterated that no bar should currently be operating as a bar. Bars are allowed to operate as a restaurant and congregating will no be tolerated. 

As many states around the country are currently setting single day records for new virus cases and experiencing related issues, Raimondo said, “I don’t want that to be our story.” She announced that state officials will continue to crack down on enforcement at restaurants and bars as the virus will spread if we are not following the rules. The governor asks for everyone to “try a little harder.”

New enforcement rules are being issued, including a compliance order and fines to be issued if officials see blatant disregard at businesses. This includes packed establishments, no social distancing, lines, crowds, etc. A business with its first violation will be issued a compliance order. A second violation will consist of a fine and the possibility of being shut down until appropriate changes are made. 

Less significant compliance, such as a lack of or improper signage, and mask wearing will still provide businesses with a slap on the wrist. Businesses will first receive a warning and the second offense the business will be issued a compliance order or a fine. 

Raimondo said, “What is happening around this country right now is pretty scary. Rhode Island stands out to the nation as a shining star of how well we are doing.” 

Rhode Island is a popular spot for tourists during the summer and Governor Raimondo welcomes them, but expects all tourists to follow the rules. If you travel to Rhode Island form outside of the U.S., you must quarantine for 14 days. If traveling from states with a 5 percent or greater positive rate, you should quarantine for 14 days unless you test negative. 

Tourists can get tested in their home state 72 hours prior to traveling to Rhode Island or they can be tested here. If a tourist chooses to be tested in Rhode Island, they must quarantine until their test comes back negative. Results are usually determined in in a couple of days after being tested. Tourists being tested in R.I. should also expect to pay about $100 out of pocket. 

Ten testing locations can be found throughout the state for tourists to go to. 

These travel restrictions do not apply to healthcare workers, people attending a funeral or memorial service, grocery shopping, getting gas, or picking children up from a summer camp. 

Lastly, Raimondo discussed nursing home and hospital visitation, which began Wednesday across the state. If visiting a loved one at a nursing home, one can expect their visit to be short (approximately 30 minutes), to be screened upon entering, to provide your name and telephone number for contact tracing purposes,  to wear a cloth face covering, to maintain a six-foot distance, and to call ahead to schedule your visit.  

Rhode Island Department of Health is also encouraging outdoor visits if at all possible. If a new case is reported at a nursing home facility, RIDOH will be on the case immediately and visitation may have to be temporarily suspended. 

Updated guidelines were also provided for hospital visits. Guidelines vary hospital to hospital, so it is best to contact the hospital of the loved one you are visiting. Expect many of the same guidelines for nursing home visitation to be enforced at hospitals. 

Additional coronavirus data from RIDOH reports that 3,383 people were tested in the state on Tuesday. Currently there are 56 people in the hospital, 5 in the ICU, and 5 on a ventilator. Rhode Island has administered 264,216 COVID-19 tests since March and 17,204 Rhode Islanders have tested positive. Cumulatively, Rhode Island reports 971 deaths attributed to COVID-19. 

Raimondo plans to address the state next week with a more in depth look into a healthier, stronger, more equitable future along with a better healthcare system.