New RI Campaign Urges Residents To 'Take It Outside'

NORTH KINGSTOWN, RI —Rhode Islanders are urged to get outdoors while the outdoor getting is still good with the weather as a way to drive down coronavirus numbers in the state.

Gov. Gina Raimondo announced the state's new "Take It Outside" campaign during her Wednesday news conference. She said the campaign will not only encourage residents and businesses in the state to hold as many meetings, dining and shopping experiences, as well as recreation activities, outside as much as possible as long into the fall as possible, it will provide funding to businesses and communities to facilitate more outdoor space use.

"We know this virus spreads much easier indoors than outdoors," said Raimondo, adding that studies she's seen say that people are 19 times more likely to contract the coronavirus while around an infected person in an indoor area compared to an outdoor area.

She said the campaign will work with communities and businesses on "creative ideas to move activities outdoors," which could include loosing restrictions on outdoor dining and drinking spaces and creating more commercial markets outdoors for both dining and shopping.

Raimondo said closing city and town streets to traffic and making state-owned property and other municipal spaces available to local businesses for commerce could also be part of the campaign. She said the campaign will encourage schools and businesses to meet outdoors, gyms to move equipment and classes outside and create more mobile hot spots for residents to be able to work outdoors.

Funding for equipment — such as heating lamps and lighting — may also be available in hopes to stretching the outdoor season as far into the fall as possible.

"Let's get creative," Raimondo said. "Let's have some fun. And let's see what we can do outdoors.

"It is much safer to eat outside, work outside, have a good time."

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