'Rebuilding Together': Raimondo Calls For New RI Post-Coronavirus

PROVIDENCE, RI — As Rhode Island continues to see a decrease in the number of coronavirus cases and hospitalizations in the state, Gov. Gina Raimondo is looking forward to the state's future, saying now is a unique opportunity to rebuild the economy in a whole new way.

"I don't like the phrase 'the new normal,'" Raimondo said. "I don't think this is the new normal ... We will never go back to the way it was. It will never be the way it used to be."

Many of the industries Rhode Island's economy relies on — retail, tourism, hospitality, entertainment and more — have faced a seismic shift in the coronavirus pandemic, meaning they now must be rebuilt from the ground up. Rather than just trying to put things back to exactly the way they were before, now is the chance to incorporate the changes that were necessitated by the pandemic on a long-term scale Raimondo said, such as more employees working from home, more focus on telemedicine in the health care field and changing the way students learn to capitalize on distance learning.

"This economy is forever changed," she said. "There will be forever changes to retail. There will be forever changes to hospitality. That is scary to hear."

The governor acknowledged that this shift will require a lot of work and retraining on the part of business owners and employees, but that the state will work to make sure everyone whose job is eliminated has the chance to find a new job.

One major change could be permanently changing the state's Department of Motor Vehicles to an appointment-only and online-focused model, eliminating infamously long lines and wait times.

"[We could have the] DMV by appointment only, never waiting in line again," Raimondo said. "I don't know if it's possible, but it's worth striving for."

Patch editor Scott Souza contributed to this report.