[Summit] New England plans for the New Normal (Boston Globe) [Covid News no. 237]

Sat May 16 02:25:22 UTC 2020

   ----- Forwarded Message ----- From: Rhode Map - The Boston Globe <newsletters at bostonglobe.com>To: Sent: Friday, May 15, 2020, 07:57:43 AM EDTSubject: What reopening looks like for the rest of New England
   Dan McGowan's daily guide to everything happening in the Ocean State.  
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|  May 15, 2020   |   Follow @DanMcGowan on Twitter  |

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|  If you have friends or relatives who would like their own free copy of this daily briefing about Rhode Island, tell them they can sign up here.  |

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|  LEADING OFF  |

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|  Happy Friday and welcome to Rhode Map, your daily guide to everything happening in the Ocean State. I'm Dan McGowan and I’m no fan of the new design for Facebook. Follow me on Twitter @DanMcGowan or send tips to Dan.McGowan at globe.com.

ICYMI: Rhode Island was up to 12,016 confirmed coronavirus cases on Thursday, after adding 181 new cases. We know that 468 residents have died. There were 271 people in the hospital, 65 in intensive care, and 42 were on ventilators.

Governor Gina Raimondo is supposed to offer a more detailed explanation today for how Rhode Island will move from its first phase of reopening to the second one, or God forbid, what kind of outbreak would force the state into another shutdown.

But if you were wondering how Rhode Island compares to the rest of New England, here’s a basic guide to how the other states are handling the reopening of their economies. (Note: If some of the details sound scarce, it’s because they are.)

Massachusetts
Governor Charlie Baker is seeking to reopen the economy in four phases beginning as soon as Monday, but he's been vague on how the plan will work. The state wants to start with industries that don’t have a lot of face-to-face contact with customers. While Baker announced last week that golf courses can reopen, it does not appear that the state has set a timeline for when restaurants or malls will welcome back customers.

Connecticut
Connecticut is also considering a four-phase reopening plan that will begin May 20 with restaurants allowing outdoor dining, most retailers, and malls. Face masks will be required and gatherings will be limited to five people (like Rhode Island). The state is asking businesses to self-certify that they are following social distancing and sanitation rules before they can reopen. Governor Ned Lamont said this week that he expects the second phase of reopening to begin June 20.

New Hampshire
The stay-at-home order is in effect until the end of the month, but certain businesses – including malls – have slowly started to reopen. Retailers, hair salons, and dentists were given the okay to operate on May 11, and restaurants are open to outdoor dining for tables of up to six. Campgrounds and state parks are open.

Vermont
People visiting Vermont for anything other than an essential purpose are still expected to self-quarantine for 14 days (like Rhode Island), and Governor Phil Scott said this week that retail stores will gradually begin to reopen starting Monday. The state’s stay-at-home order expires today, and hotels and motels are expected to begin reopening next week.

Maine
Officials in Maine decided to allow separate reopening plans for rural areas, so retailers and restaurants in those counties are already in the process of welcoming back customers (restaurants open Monday).  The state also allowed hair salons to reopen earlier this month, long before other states in the region. The state’s stay-at-home order is in effect until the end of the month.
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NEED TO KNOW |

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|  Rhode Map wants to hear from you. If you've got a scoop or a link to an interesting news story in Rhode Island, e-mail us at RInews at globe.com.

⚓ The Globe and ProPublica have published a fascinating story from Lynn Arditi of The Public’s Radio on how nursing homes are the epicenter of the coronavirus, and Rhode Island is ground zero for nursing homes. Lynn tells the story through the eyes of the director of nursing at Bannister Center for Rehabilitation and Health Care.

⚓ Ed Fitzpatrick reports that the House Finance Committee returned to work on Thursday, and now lawmakers will begin the process of closing a massive budget crunch caused largely by the coronavirus.

⚓The Globe is asking some reporters to imagine summer during the pandemic, and David Scharfenberg writes that he could see baseball becoming more popular now that we’ll all have fewer options to entertain ourselves.

⚓ Three Rhode Island destinations are featured in this guide for people who want to get out safely, but also want to start small.

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| BREAKING NEWS ALERT |

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| Governor Charlie Baker on Friday announced the extension of Massachusetts’ nonessential business order by 24 hours, paving the way for a reopening plan expected Monday from his advisory board.

Baker said businesses should continue remote working when possible. “It’s become more and more critical for remote work to continue,” he said.

Read the full story on BostonGlobe.com.

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| BREAKING NEWS ALERT |

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| The state reported Friday that the death toll from the coronavirus outbreak in Massachusetts had risen by 110 cases to 5,592, and the number of confirmed coronavirus cases had climbed by 1,239 to 83,421.

The Department of Public Health also reported 11,318 new tests had been conducted, marking a total of 435,679 in the state.

Read the full story on BostonGlobe.com.
The latest coronavirus numbers from Massachusetts
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