Rhode Island is asking state workers to volunteer for furloughs to offset a looming budget deficit. Under a 12-week federal WorkShare program, Governor Raimondo says employees who accept the furlough would see hours reduced by 40 percent, with unemployment compensation for the time off. The state hopes to see a minimum enrollment of 25 percent.
Governor Raimondo said that the program could save the state 5 million dollars, but is only an immediate step.
“All signs suggest that congress is poised to pass another stimulus act,” she said. “I hope that we will have information about whether that happens and the size of that by the end of this month, and then once we have that, we can really get to work balancing the budget.”
The state deficit continues to climb over 800 million dollars. Without more federal aid, Raimondo says the state will have to make a series of layoffs and budget cuts she calls devastating. Those who wish to enroll have until Monday.
On a more positive note, the governor said hospitalizations and total cases of COVID-19 continue to plateau. The Rhode Island Department of Health reported 107 new cases and 10 COVID-related deaths today.
“It’s an encouraging picture,” Governor Gina Raimondo said of the recent data. More Rhode Islanders are downloading the contact-tracing app, Crush COVID.
In a press conference this afternoon, Governor Raimondo addressed privacy concerns regarding Crush COVID RI. “If what you’re nervous about is this location tracker, then just download the app but don’t enable the location tracker. Maybe you could just use it to keep yourself informed or use it to find where you could get a test. I want you to have confidence that no one is going to get a hold of your data.”
Raimondo said contact tracing will be essential. “The contact tracing will allow us to catch outbreaks before they happen, and will allow us to prevent community spread as we begin to reopen this economy,” she said.
