Governor Gina Raimondo announced Friday an additional six COVID-19 deaths in Rhode Island bringing the total to 49 in Rhode Island. Of those deaths, one person was in their 60s, four were in their 90s and one was in their 100s. Five of the six were associated with nursing homes.
There were also an additional 288 COVID-19 cases bringing the total to 2015 and currently there are 169 COVID-19 related hospitalizations.
Raimondo also announced that weekly unemployment payments will go up $600 starting next week as a result of the federal stimulus package.
As a general rule, you can collect unemployment insurance only if you have been laid off or have had your hours reduced,” Raimondo said. “This means if your business is still open, you haven’t been laid off, and you haven’t had your hours reduced – then you are not eligible.”
Raimondo also spoke of her concern about an uptick in domestic violence. “What we’re doing to deal with domestic violence through this crisis: I have a team that’s working on this, and I’ll be back in the coming days with some additional announcements. Despite increase in 911 FV calls, DV hotline calls & shelter intake are down.”
As of today RIPTA will be limiting capacity on all buses to no more than 15 passengers to allow for more space. They’re also asking all passengers to use cloth face coverings when out in public—which everyone should be doing. RIPTA drivers will also be filling gaps on delivery routes for Meals on Wheels, which has seen much higher demand.
UPDATE:
• Unemployment Insurance: The Governor signed an executive order yesterday ensuring that individual businesses that have closed as a result of COVID-19 will not be penalized for their workers accessing unemployment insurance. This order also allows for data sharing between state agencies. Rather than seeking individual tax records on a case-by-case basis, the Rhode Island Department of Labor and Training (DLT) will have access to the records of every person that has applied, speeding up their ability to process claims. It also allows for recent DLT retirees to rejoin state service and help process claims, without having to sacrifice their pensions. This will allow experienced workers to immediately help speed up processing.
• Domestic Violence: The Rhode Island Coalition Against Domestic Violence and all of its member agencies are open, as are domestic violence shelters. Rhode Islanders seeking help can call the 24/7 confidential hotline at 1-800-494-8100. Services are provided in English and in Spanish. While courts are closed for non-essential business including evictions, they are open for all domestic violence matters.
• RIPTA: As of today, RIPTA will be limiting capacity on all busses to no more than 15 passengers to allow for more space. They’re also asking all passengers to use cloth face coverings when out in public. Starting next week, RIPTA will be filling gaps on delivery routes for Meals on Wheels.
The Governor also clarified eligibility requirements for unemployment insurance. As a general rule, Rhode Islanders can collect unemployment insurance only if they have been laid off or have had their hours reduced. In the CARES Act, the federal government expanded eligibility for unemployment insurance benefits – called Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) – for two specific groups of individuals:
• The self-employed and those who are sole proprietors, like hairdressers and gig economy workers, and
• Individuals who have COVID-19, have been quarantined or have been told by a doctor to self-quarantine because they are high risk, or are the only person available to care for a child or loved one who cannot stay home alone because the place they received care is closed due to COVID-19.
