Rhode Island Governor Gina Raimondo will sign an executive order on Friday that will immediately lift the early closure restrictions for Rhode Island restaurants, according to Department of Commerce spokesperson Matt Sheaff.
Raimondo had ordered a mandatory shutdown time of 10 p.m. on weekdays and 10:30 p.m. on weekends back in November.
“Small businesses, especially our restaurants, have been hit so hard during this pandemic,” said Sheaff in a statement. “Because our COVID-19 data is showing positive signs across the board, we are able to gradually relax some of the business restrictions in place.”
On Thursday, it was announced that these restrictions would expire on Sunday but after much push back, Governor Raimondo will sign the executive order immediately allowing for regular closing times.
“We’d like to thank our legislators, as well as the many cities and towns for their support to end this curfew period and look forward to normal operating hours beginning on Sunday. While we continue to work on eliminating bar-seating restrictions, this is an important step forward in helping our industry recover,” said Dale Venturini, president and CEO of the Rhode Island Hospitality Association.
Massachusetts had a similar restriction that the vacated last week.
Bar areas will still be closed to customers and a 50% capacity maximum will still be in effect.
