Raimondo To Restaurants: 'Outdoor Dining Or Nothing' In Phase 1

PROVIDENCE, RI — As Rhode Island's restaurants prepare for the first stage of dine-in services on Monday, Gov. Gina Raimondo reminded business owners and residents that it's in everyone's best interest to follow the rules. While outdoor-only dining is not a perfect solution for struggling businesses, it is the only safe option the state has right now, she said.

"Today I want to say to the Rhode Islanders out there that I want you to have confidence. We wouldn't let you out there if it wasn't safe," Raimondo said.

Rhode Islanders should be confident that it is safe to go out to restaurants and nonessential stores during phase one of reopening, Raimondo said, adding that she will be going out to eat next week to celebrate her birthday, which is Sunday.

"I feel I am governing from a position of confidence in the people of Rhode Island," Raimondo said. "If I did [have concerns about reopening], I wouldn't be doing it. ... I am the first governor in the northeast who has lifted the stay-at-home order. ... There is a relationship between physical health and mental health. It is not healthy to keep Rhode Islanders out of work for so long."

Restaurants can begin to offer outdoor dining starting on Monday, Raimondo announced this week. Strict guidelines for distancing and cleaning have been posted on the Reopening Rhode Island website. Some requirements include:

• There must be eight feet of space between tables or barriers.
• Diners can only eat in parties of five or fewer.
• Tables and chairs must be sanitized between use.
• Restaurants can only have a total of 20 tables in their outdoor dining area.
• High-touch reusable items such as menus, condiment bottles and silverware must be sanitized between use or replaced with individual, single-use alternatives.
• Customers must make a reservation in advance.

While acknowledging the phase one regulations make it so that some businesses won't be able to reopen right away, Raimondo again asked for patience, saying that it's the best the state can safely handle at this point. For those who cannot meet the strict requirement of the first phase, it's important to remember that restrictions are expected to be further lifted in the coming weeks.

"This phase won't last forever. It's weeks, not months. Hang in there in with me for a couple of weeks," Raimondo said. "For now, it's what it is. ... Try to follow the rules."

To Rhode Islanders, she again said that it's so important to voluntarily follow social distancing and mask rules to avoid a spike in coronavirus cases in the next two weeks and the potential for another economic shutdown.

"The more you follow the rules, the faster we can open the economy," Raimondo said. "Go out. Go shopping. Spend money. Help the economy. Wear a mask. It's easy to do."

As the economy continues to reopen and residents leave their homes more often, the governor said it is now more important than ever to keep a contact tracing journal. Each night, everyone is asked to write down where they went that day and who they interacted with. In the coming weeks, the state hopes to transition to a location-based app to track movements, but until that happens, these logs help the Rhode Island Department of Health with contact tracing if a person tests positive for COVID-19.

"This sound simple. This will save lives," Raimondo said. "This whole disease is limiting your networks and [keeping track] of where you are."