Sports
Coronavirus: CVS Charity Classic Golf, Crave RI Event Postponed
Event organizers Tuesday announced one of the state's largest charitable events is the latest victim of the new coronavirus health crisis.
BARRINGTON, RI — One of Rhode Island's biggest annual charitable events is the latest victim of the new coronavirus health crisis. CVS Health Charity Classic organizers announced on Tuesday that the Pepsi Pro-Am and Charity Classic at Rhode Island County Club in Barrington, as well as the Crave RI food festival in Providence, are both postponed.
The event was scheduled to take place June 18-22. No potential make-up date has been indicated.
"The CVS Health Charity Classic is one of our community's largest summer gatherings and our hope is to determine the best way to keep that sense of community while respecting current social distancing safety guidelines," CVS Health Charity Classic organizers said in a statement. "This will include exploring holding virtual and re-scheduled events."
Find out what's happening in Barringtonfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
Organizers said they will continue to look for opportunities to support charities in Southern New England this summer. The CVS Health Charity Classic had donated more than $23 million to regional charities and non-profits since its inception in 1999.
The event was to include a two-day food festival with local restaurants, breweries and vineyards at the Dunkin' Donuts Center, as well as the PGA event in Barrington.
Find out what's happening in Barringtonfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
While reopening the state's economy remains the top priority, Gov. Gina Raimondo
said during her Tuesday news conference, adding that she will begin to do so as soon as it can safely be done. However, she cautioned, the change will not be overnight.
"There is not going be a magic reopening, flip-of-the-switch reopening," Raimondo said. "Obviously, the industries that can come back online sooner are ones where they don't rely on people as a business model. We all need to start to realize for the next year, or so, we are going to be living under a new set of regulations."
The last businesses to reopen, she continued, will be those that require large groups of people crowded into a small areas, such as the hospitality and entertainment industries.
Patch Editor Rachel Nunes contributed to this report.
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