Governor Outlines Vision for Re-Opening RI Economy

PROVIDENCE, R.I. — The governor recently began outlining her vision for safely reopening Rhode Island’s economy.

For weeks, a team of experts on the Governor’s “New Normal” workstream have been exploring how and when this process can begin. To guide these decisions, the Governor announced a series of indicators that measure the state’s readiness to reopen. The six key indicators are as follows: 

• Has the rate of spread continued to decrease? 
• Does the state have the capacity to quickly identify community spread on an ongoing basis before a major outbreak occurs? 
• Does the state have necessary supports in place for vulnerable populations, and for anyone in quarantine? 
• Does Rhode Island’s healthcare system have the capacity and the PPE to handle future surges? 
• Do businesses, schools, child care facilities, faith leaders, and recreational spaces have plans for long-term social distancing? 
• Is the state prepared to reimpose measures, or reclose certain sectors of the economy, if it becomes necessary? 

The governor also announced that the USDA Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) recently granted Rhode Island the authority to issue Pandemic-EBT benefits (P-EBT) to Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and non-SNAP households with one or more children who have temporarily lost access to free or reduced price meals at school due to COVID-19 school closures.

For households receiving SNAP benefits, the additional benefits will be added to their existing EBT cards. Households not currently receiving SNAP benefits will receive a new P-EBT card in the mail with benefits automatically added and a personal identification number (PIN) and setup instructions. More information can be found here.