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How 5 Rhode Island high school seniors made it through the pandemic Dan McGowan
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Happy Friday and welcome to Rhode Map, your daily guide to everything happening in the Ocean State. I’m Dan McGowan and I can’t even explain how giddy I am to watch the Knicks in the playoffs this weekend. Follow me on Twitter
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ICYMI: Rhode Island was up to 150,948 confirmed coronavirus cases on Thursday, after adding 84 new cases. The most-recent overall daily test-positive rate was 0.7 percent, and the first-time positive rate was 6.6 percent. The state announced no new deaths, keeping the total at 2,703. There were 71 people in the hospital, and 523,474 residents were fully vaccinated.
Proms went poof after schools shifted to online learning last March, dragging dress sales with them.
Although high schools have since reopened, school leaders are still uncertain about holding large-scale events until they get guidance from state officials.
“I wish I had a crystal ball,” said Seraichyk, the owner of Infusion Boutique in Warwick. “We’re in uncharted territory. No one ever wrote a business plan that included a pandemic.”
The hard shutdown on public events last spring left many boutiques reeling from a double whammy: the cancellation of weddings and proms.
“Prom is 95% of my revenue,” said Stefania Spas, owner of Stefania’s Boutique in Cranston. “Last year, we closed on St. Patrick’s Day. I can count on two hands how many dresses I’ve sewn since then. My mom and I didn t go upstairs to our prom area for three months because it was too sad.”