03/27/2020

COVID-19: Rhode Island Governor Gina Raimondo Extends Executive Orders

On Friday March 27, 2020, Governor Gina Raimondo announced the extension of a number of Executive Orders that we summarized in our 3/20 alert, “Summary of Rhode Island Executive Orders to Date.” The following is a summary of the dates on which various executive orders will now expire:

Extended to April 13, 2020

  • Executive Order 20-04 – Prohibition on gatherings over 10 people and prohibition on dine-in services will continue.
  • Executive Order 20-09 – Public entertainment and recreational facilities and close-contact businesses shall remain closed. Businesses that remain open must follow CDC guidance regarding social distancing. All workers who are able shall work from home. 

Extended to April 25, 2020

  • Executive Order 20-03 - Any person returning on a domestic or international flight must self-quarantine for 14 days.
  • Executive Order 20-12 - Anyone travelling from New York state must self-quarantine for 14 days. Persons travelling to Rhode Island from New York by any means will be stopped by authorities and required to give contact information for the purpose of monitoring the quarantine requirement. Cars with New York license plates crossing the border will be similarly stopped. The National Guard will go door-to-door in coastal communities asking inhabitants whether thev have recently travelled from New York. Penalties for failure to self-quarantine include fines and possible incarceration for subsequent offenses.

Extended to May 8, 2020

  • Executive Order 20-05 - The Open Meeting Act is still suspended. Public bodies will continue to be relieved from the statute's requirements provided that the public body is meeting for an “essential purpose” and ensures public access to the meeting of the public body through adequate, alternative means.
  • Executive Order 20-06 – Patient location requirements for telemedicine, and the prohibition against audio-only videoconferencing for care is still suspended. Insurance carriers are ordered to continue covering telemedicine services at reimbursement rates matching those for in-office visits.  

Extended Indefinitely

  • Casinos and the State House will remain closed.  Nursing homes and hospitals will not receive visitors.
  • Except for appointment-only service at the Department of Motor Vehicles, all state services will remain online. 

For more information on Governor Raimondo’s Executive Orders regarding COVID-19, please contact Pierce Atwood partner Stephen MacGillivray.