Rhode Island's Coronavirus Pause Extended 1 Week To Dec. 20

PROVIDENCE, RI — Rhode Island's two-week coronavirus pause will be extended an additional week, Gov. Gina Raimondo announced Thursday. While there has been a decrease in mobility in the state over the past two weeks, it was not enough to slow the rampant spread of the virus in the state, she said.

The pause is now set to expire on Dec. 20.

Over the past two weeks, hospitalizations have continued to climb in Rhode Island, averaging 60 new patients per day, Raimondo said. These numbers are far higher than the state's first peak back in April, and on one day last week, more than 70 people were admitted to Rhode Island hospitals with COVID-19 in just one day. Although hospitalizations are a lagging indicator, meaning they take a few weeks to show improvements, the steep increase contributed to the decision to extend the pause, Raimondo said.

The main indicator, mobility, has overall shown improvement, the governor added, though not as much of a "precipitous drop" as she initially hoped.

Because the extended restrictions and forced closures will continue to impact the state's economy, the financial relief measures put in place for the pause will be extended as well. The deadline for businesses to apply for these protections has been extended to midnight on Monday. In addition, the added $200 in unemployment benefits will be extended for the third week, as well.

The first round of checks, totaling around $10 million, is set to be mailed tomorrow, Raimondo said, Those who already applied for relief will automatically get a second round of checks, equal to half the first, while those who apply going forward will get the full three weeks covered.

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