→ See more of our coronavirus coverage, including community resources and personal stories.
In March, the town banned short-term accommodations, ordered a two-week quarantine for part-time residents coming to the island, and restricted travel for non-essential workers.
New Shoreham First Warden Ken Lacoste said the island is loosening its tight restrictions because they differed too much from rules elsewhere in Rhode Island and would have been difficult to enforce during the summer tourist months.
“We’re trying to get aligned with the mainland regulations so there’s less confusion,” Lacoste said. “A lot of those things that we did would be so difficult to try to enforce. That’s why we’re trying to align more with the state.”
Lacoste said town officials made the right decision, though, on the early rules. So far, only one person on Block Island has tested positive for Covid-19, and there have been no reported deaths.
Even with the emergency restrictions expiring, Lacoste said island officials still expect visitors to comply with all rules in effect statewide in Rhode Island.
“People come out here and they feel they’re a little more fancy free,” Lacoste said. “They need to understand that, coming out here to the island, we’ve kept everyone safe and we intend to continue doing that through the summer.”
