By JACOB MARROCCO
Mayor Joseph Polisena provided another update on the town response to the coronavirus pandemic on Monday, also expressing concerns about the long-term ramifications of a continued economic shutdown.
Once the howling winds and driving rain from Monday's storm died down, the primary focus could move back to coronavirus response. Polisena said Town Hall is still only open by appointment, though some residents have stopped in to pay taxes or obtain marriage licenses.
He continued to laud the efforts of Gov. Gina Raimondo and Rhode Island Department of Health Director Dr. Nicole Alexander-Scott, while reporting that he hasn't received many calls about large stores violating social distancing protocols. He said he has gone to a few for a closer inspection, and he was satisfied with one-way arrows in aisles and adherence to state protocols.
"We had a problem two weeks ago on a Saturday where some woman cut the line and it got a little rowdy but the police went and calmed the situation down. Our police officers have been doing an exemplary job, they really have," Polisena said. "They've got their eyes wide open. They've got a good rapport with the store managers - whether it's BJ's, Stop & Shop, Aldi, Price Rite - any of the box stores, if there's an issue, they call them right away. We haven't had any calls. I think the stores have been doing a great job."
Polisena said, though, that he remains "very, very concerned" about the country's future once the pandemic is over. He said he's worried about "what we're going to be left with" if normalcy isn't restored some time soon.
"I'm just guessing that maybe they'll come out with a plan that slowly releases some people back to work," Polisena said. "If you're over 65 and you have respiratory problems, cardiac problems, a compromised immune system or diabetes, then you should probably stay hunkered down."
He added: "You've heard the statement, 'The cure is worse than the disease.' Right now and I'm just very concerned about the future of this country."
In the meantime, Polisena remains vigilant about keeping the town as spotless as possible. He said the cleaning schedule has eased for some buildings that aren't open, like the recreational center, but crews are still consistently inside keeping it in shape.
"We're using cleaner on the counters and letting the counters stay wet, until they dry, instead of just drying them off after," Polisena said. "We're concerned about being reimbursed for the supplies, so we're hoping we'll get reimbursed on the supplies and then any additional costs we have, but I'm very, very confident in my Deputy Chief Joe Razza, and [in his role] as EMA director he's on that. He's in constant contact with Sen. Reed's office on reimbursements and anything else we may need. We've got our finger on the pulse."
Polisena offered his follow-up comment on a Sun Rise story last week concerning the decline in crime across town. He said he usually drives across most of town throughout the week, and he was pleased with what he's been seeing.
"I commend the people of Johnston," he said. "I think they're doing a darn good job adhering to social distancing, hunkering down and they're only out when they need to be out. Just so you know, I travel the roads every day. There's 175 miles of road in Johnston, and by the end of the week I've traveled all of them just checking, seeing if people need anything."
Polisena spoke with the Sun Rise as a major storm was bearing down on the state, one that ended up knocking out power for tens of thousands of Rhode Islanders. Polisena said that he and the Department of Public Works were ready with fully gassed vehicles and extra blades for their chainsaws. The wood chipper was also ready to go for any downed trees or large branches.
He did add, for this storm and future reference, that the town will not remove a tree if there are wires down. According to Ted Kresse, director of communications for National Grid, more than 700 customers lost power in Johnston and only 16 had not been restored yet as of Tuesday afternoon.
"It has to be done by National Grid," Polisena said, discussing trees knotted with wires. "I will not put my employees in danger. That's not their expertise on knowing if it's a high-tension wire or just a cable wire. People need to know that if a tree's down and it's not entangled in wires, then we'll remove the tree and open up the road. If wires are down, we will not touch the tree until the power company comes and determines that it is not a live wire."
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