Gov. Raimondo Reschedules Weekly Coronavirus News Conference

PROVIDENCE, RI — Gov. Gina Raimondo will not hold her first coronavirus news conference of the year Friday, her office announced Thursday night. A reason for the sudden change in schedule was not provided.

A spokesperson for the governor said the news conference, previously scheduled for 1 p.m., will be moved to next week. Instead, Dr. Nicole Alexander-Scott, the director of the Rhode Island Department of Health, and other department leaders will update the media on the state's coronavirus situation in a Zoom meeting at 3 p.m.

Raimondo usually holds her news conferences every Thursday at 1 p.m. This week, it was initially rescheduled to Friday after the governor was again forced to self-quarantine due to a possible COVID-19 exposure. Because of the Christmas and New Year's holidays, Raimondo has not addressed the Rhode Island public since Dec. 22.

Friday's event was canceled just hours after Raimondo was announced as President-elect Joe Biden's pick for Commerce Secretary. While she did acknowledge the nomination on Twitter, the governor has not officially released a statement through her office or formally accepted the position. It's unclear if the cancellation was related to Thursday's announcement.