Politics & Government

RI Governor Again Extends Pandemic State Of Emergency

The state of emergency will remain in effect until at least August 6.

Rhode Island has been under a state of emergency since March 2020.
Rhode Island has been under a state of emergency since March 2020. (Rachel Nunes/Patch )

PROVIDENCE, RI — Rhode Island will remain under a state of emergency for another month. Gov. Dan McKee signed another extension to the executive order, which was set to expire Friday.

The extension pushes the new deadline to Aug. 6.

Then-Gov. Gina Raimondo first declared a state of emergency in Rhode Island on March 9, 2020. At that time, few cases had been reported in the state, and the move was made to allow the governor greater flexibility in responding to the ever-changing situation.

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"We need to take action," Raimondo said at the time. "I want every tool at my disposal."

In June, McKee said that no date had been set to lift the order, rather that he and other leaders were having "ongoing discussions" about when would be an appropriate time to lift the order.

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