R.I. restaurants can open for outside dining May 18

PROVIDENCE — Gov. Gina Raimondo announced Monday afternoon restaurants can reopen for outside dining as of May 18.

The outdoor dining will be OK in addition to takeout, delivery and drive-through service currently available, Raimondo said.

She added people must make reservation, will be asked about their health and asked for contact information before they can dine.

Groups are limited to five or fewer and tables will be at least 8 feet apart, unless otherwise separated.

Raimondo announced the news after the Rhode Island Health Department reported earlier today that eight more Rhode Islanders had died from the coronavirus.

Raimondo said the numbers are trending in the right direction.

“As you can see from the data reported on the screen, it’s a good news story,” she said.

Restaurants can reopen for outside dining only as of May 18, she said, in addition to takeout, delivery and drive-through.

A total of 430 people have died from the coronavirus in Rhode Island.

The state reports 276 people in the hospital with 73 in intensive-care units and 52 of them on ventilators.

A total of 93,332 have been tested for coronavirus, with 81,882 testing negative and 11,450 positive.

Raimondo said that her stay-at-home order was lifted Saturday and it mostly went well, although she that only about 75 percent of store customers were wearing masks. People need to do better, she said.

“Reopening the economy doesn’t mean the virus is going to go away. The virus is here to stay probably for about a year until we have a vaccine or reliable therapy. However, we’ve learned how to deal with it,” she said.

“Be cautious. Go slow. Be kind. Be patient,” she said.