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When churches and other houses of worship resume services in Rhode Island, one-quarter of the usual number of congregants will be allowed into the buildings.
Gov. Gina Raimondo shared this information during her Wednesday briefing, following what she called a difficult attempt to reach consensus with a panel of religious officials.
The state has set a target of allowing the resumption of in-person religious services on May 30.
While some favor resuming services with less than 25 percent of the capacity of a particular building, the governor said, “Others of you, I think, would like to go above 25 percent and that we cannot support, not now. The whole name of the game now is slow and steady. If you go above 25 percent too soon, too many people will get sick and we’ll have to pull back. So 25 percent is where we came out as a beginning.”
Raimondo said precautions like masks and social distancing will be part of the return to churches and other houses of worship.
With the Memorial Day weekend ahead, the governor called on Rhode Islanders to resist the urge to stage large cookouts.
“This weekend is not a weekend to throw a big party,” she said. “It is not a weekend to have a big barbecue. Get together in a small group. Enjoy your family. Go for a walk. Go to the beach for a walk. Keep the social gatherings to a limit.”
State officials announced that six more deaths are associated with the coronavirus, bringing the state’s toll to 538. The number of infections climbed by 209, to 13,356.
Raimondo said she was pleased that more than 10,000 people have downloaded Crush COVID RI, the state’s app for tracing the virus and marshaling a fast response to hot spots.
While civil libertarians have raised concerns about the app, state Health Director Dr. Nicole Alexander-Scott said the app does not track people in live time and she called it a valuable tool in the state’s fight against the virus.
