147 New Cases, 1,229 total cases, 3 New Deaths; EG Holds at 5 Cases

Gov. Gina Raimondo announced Tuesday extensions of several COVID-19 executive orders to May 8, including:

• Gatherings: All gatherings of more than five people are prohibited.
• Restaurant dine-in: Restaurants, bars and cafes will be closed to dine-in service. They will be allowed to sell wine and beer with take-out orders.
• Business closures: Public recreation and entertainment businesses (e.g., theaters, cinemas, bowling alleys, museums, zoos, etc.) as well as all close-contact businesses (e.g., hair salons, nail salons, barber shops, tattoo parlors, gyms, yoga studios, etc.) will remain closed.
• Travel: Anyone returning to Rhode Island from domestic or international travel by any mode of transportation must self-quarantine for 14 days.
• Open Meetings Act: The Governor has suspended the provision of the Open Meetings Act that prohibits meetings taking place by phone or video conferencing. All meetings must still allow for public access.
• Telehealth: Health insurers must cover telemedicine for primary care, specialty care and mental and behavioral health care.
• Gun Permits: In keeping with a request from the Rhode Island Police Chiefs’ Association, the Governor has extended the time period that law enforcement has to complete a background for a gun permit from seven days to 30 days.

Photo by WhatsUpNewp

Raimondo said these would remain “indefinitely closed”:

1. The State House
2. Nursing homes and hospitals
3. State parks and beaches
4. Most state agencies will remain open for online business only.
5. DMV would be open by appointment only and all road tests cancelled until further notice.
6. Casinos 

Dr. Nicole Alexander-Scott of the state Dept. of Health said there were 147 new cases, bringing the Rhode Island total to 1,229 confirmed cases. There were also three deaths; two of the deaths, a person in their 70s and a person in their 90s, were residents of Golden Crest Nursing Centre in North Providence. The other person in their 70s was a resident of Oak Hill Center for Rehabilitation and Nursing in Pawtucket. So far, 30 Rhode Islanders have died from COVID-19 related illness.

Find all the RI DOH COVID-19 data HERE.

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