Rhode Island Enters Final Phase Of Reopening: What To Know

PROVIDENCE, RI — Friday is a day long-awaited in Rhode Island: the start of the final phase of reopening in the state. Businesses will be allowed to reopen at full capacity and all social gathering limits will be lifted.

"Tomorrow is the tomorrow that many Rhode Islanders have been waiting for" Gov. Dan McKee said Thursday. "The plexiglass is coming down."

Friday will mark the closest the state has been to "normal" since the pandemic started last March. Here's a look at what's changing:

• Indoor dining: 100 percent capacity, no restrictions on table size.
• Bar areas: Indoor standing service allowed, no plexiglass barriers needed.
• Catered events: 100 percent capacity with no attendee limits, and indoor standing bar service, cocktail hours and open dance floors. Testing not required.
• Houses of worship: 100 percent capacity, 3-foot spacing required indoors.
• Gyms: 100 percent capacity, 3-foot spacing required indoors.
• Personal services (salons, barbershops, etc.): 100 percent capacity, 3-foot spacing required indoors.
• Venues of assembly: 100 percent capacity, with no limit on attendees and 3-foot spacing indoors. Dept. of Business Regulation approval is required for events with 2,500 people or more.
• Funeral homes: 100 percent capacity, 3-foot spacing required indoors.
• Offices: 100 percent capacity, 3-foot spacing required indoors.
• Social gatherings: No limit.
• Sports: Out-of-state teams can attend in-state tournaments.

McKee pointed to the state's climbing vaccination rate as the reason that reopening measures are possible at this time. As of Thursday, 70.1 percent of the state's 18-and-older residents had received at least one dose of a coronavirus vaccine.

"It's safe for people who are fully vaccinated," McKee said. "The vaccinations allow us to reopen."

Dr. Nicole Alexander-Scott, the director of the Rhode Island Department of Health, said that this is a landmark step for the state, and a sign of the hard-won progress made in stopping the spread of COVID-19 in the state.

"So much about the pandemic has been about what we can't do," Alexander-Scott said. "We're finally talking about what we can do, if you are fully vaccinated."

The state took another major step forward this week, lifting the mask mandate for Rhode Islanders who are fully vaccinated. As reopening continues as masks start to come off, Alexander-Scott urged any eligible Rhode Islanders who have not yet gotten their vaccine to do so.

Because more dangerous variants of the virus are prevalent in the state, it's more important than ever to take steps to protect yourself and those around you, the doctor said. Unlike immunity gained from having the disease previously, vaccines have been proven to be effective in protecting against variants of concern, Alexander-Scott said, which both protects individuals and helps stop the overall spread of COVID-19 in the state.

"You cannot rely on natural immunity alone," she said. "We are shifting to personal responsibility, and giving you the tools you need."

Despite the lifted mask mandate for fully vaccinated residents, Alexander-Scott encouraged Rhode Islanders not to "ditch your mask" just yet, instead keeping one on hand in case a certain business requires one, or the person feels more comfortable wearing one in a certain situation.

"You don't know if a mask will be required in the place you're going," she said.

Under the state's current regulations, unvaccinated and partially vaccinated Rhode Islanders must continue to wear a mask i public places, and are encouraged to gather outside to help reduce the spread of COVID-19.