NARRAGANSETT â Since the pandemic brought about widespread lockdowns, town council and other government meetings have been broadcast over video communication platform Zoom, prompting wider participation and greater access to local government. As new cases of COVID-19 sharply decline and the pandemic begins to wane in Rhode Island, the Narragansett Town Council is weighing the option of allowing the public to continue to comment over telecommunications when in-person meetings resume. Though the meetings will still be broadcast on television, on Youtube and on Zoom post-pandemic, the body will likely not take virtual comments from the public going forward.
âIâve polled the council on this question, I donât want to make that decision on my own, and the unanimous consensus is that we do not want to do a hybrid, digital situation moving forward,â said town council president Jesse Pugh. âWe will not be doing public comment through Zoom once weâre back in person.â