NEW: Pence and Raimondo at Odds Over Coronavirus Peak in RI
Monday, April 20, 2020
At Sunday's White House Task Force coronavirus briefing, Vice President Mike Pence said Rhode Island "appears" to be past its peak.
"Metro areas continue to stabilize and even see progress the New York metro area including New Jersey New York Long Island Connecticut and Rhode Island all appear to be past their peak," said Pence.
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLASTThe Vice President's comments are in direct conflict with Rhode Island Governor Gina Raimondo's statements.
On Friday, Raimondo reiterated that local officials believe the peak in Rhode Island -- based on hospitalization modeling --- is still weeks away.
"It is my hope that by May 8 we will be on the other side of the curve and on the downswing. We’re still climbing but not in a way that is surprising," she said.
On Sunday, Raimondo again addressed when the State's modeling shows Rhode Island peaking.
"The numbers are going up but not nearly as fast as we thought — at this point, the slope of the curve is much gentler, the peak will not be nearly as high as it would have been, had we not taken these measures. It’s tough but it’s working," she said on Sunday.
