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PROVIDENCE -- Calling the coronavirus an “unbelievable crisis,” Gov. Gina Raimondo on Friday announced she was activating the full Rhode Island National Guard for further staffing help, while the state health director said plans were in place to use facilities like the Dunkin’ Donuts Center as satellite hospitals if required.

Yet, as Rhode Island reported 10 new cases of COVID-19 -- bringing the total to 54 -- Raimondo said most Rhode Islanders were complying with calls to stay home and that there was no need to order a state shutdown as California has done.

Hours later, Providence Mayor Jorge Elorza announced he was banning as of Saturday 5 p.m. all gatherings of 10 people or more and closing certain businesses, including gyms, beauty salons and barber shops - a move the state had as yet not taken.

Holding her daily news conference for the first time in a mostly empty State Room and taking questions remotely from reporters, Raimondo said it was critical for the state to “maintain some semblance of an economy.”

“If we were to completely shut down our economy, there would be massive consequences,” she said, that could jeopardize the safety of citizens.

But as more Rhode Islanders are expected to come down with the disease -- California’s governor has said 56% of that state’s population may get the illness over the next two months -- Raimondo said she had not ruled out possible furloughs or layoffs of state workers.

“It is on the table because everything is on the table,” she said, as state leaders evaluate the state budget situation.

Asked if Rhode Island’s own modeling of the illness matched what California’s was showing, state Health Director Dr. Nicole Alexander-Scott said “we are continuing to calculate those kinds of estimates.”

Further testing would be the best indicator of how wide the illness spreads, she said. And toward that goal the state -- which is now doing between 100 and 200 tests a day -- would like to do about 500 to 600 tests a day “at a minimum,” she said.

Earlier in the week the health director said a shortage of specifically-made patient specimen swabs were slowing testing.

Calling up the Rhode Island National Guard, Raimondo said, would make 1,000 trained troops available who could staff call centers, deliver food, or operate drive-by testing centers, among other duties, if required.

Following the announcement earlier Friday that the federal government was pushing its tax-filing deadline back to July 15, Raimondo said the state would do the same. But she urged those who could pay their state taxes by April 15 to do so.

Raimondo on Friday night also signed an executive order allowing restaurants currently serving takeout meals to sell beer and wine as takeout, too, although not by delivery.

Alexander-Scott said the 10 new cases since Thursday ranged from a pediatric case to a person in her 70s. One person recently traveled to Estonia, and one to New Jersey. She said all 10 were recovering from home.

Raimondo asked people again not to hoard food at grocery stores because “trucks are coming in as fast as they can” and there was no interruption of deliveries.

“Have some confidence,” she said, “you can come back and buy more.”

Raimondo said the state was “working as hard as we can” for more financial support for low-income mothers and children who benefit from a supplemental nutritional program.

Asked after the briefing if the state had any plans to close barbershops or nail salons, Joseph Wendelken, a health department spokesman said neither establishments had been directed to close.

“ We are telling people that they should be avoiding groups of people whenever possible. However, the number of people in a place like a barbershop or tattoo parlor is usually much less than the number of people in a busy restaurant.”

Raimondo said the state was at a “critical” moment, in terms of staying out ahead of the disease. Staying home and away from crowds was working, she said.

“This weekend could be the most critical in this entire fight...Only go out for essential needs...Hang in there a bit longer, especially this weekend, and be safe.”