Gov. Mills introduces rural reopening plan 

Gov. Janet Mills announced on Friday a rural reopening plan aimed at reopening certain additional businesses in rural Maine over the course of the next two weeks with added health and safety measures. The plan comes after Mills stated last week that her administration was considering opportunities for regional variation as part of its Restarting Maine’s Economy plan. It also follows the announcement of a partnership with IDEXX Laboratories that will more than triple the state’s testing capacity. 

Under the plan, retail stores and restaurants will be permitted to open to in-store and some dine-in service, respectively – with enhanced safety precautions – in counties where community transmission is not present. Those counties are Aroostook, Piscataquis, Washington, Hancock, Somerset, Franklin, Oxford, Kennebec, Waldo, Knox, Lincoln and Sagadahoc.  

Retail stores in these counties are permitted to open on Monday, May 11 with added health and safety precautions. These include but are not limited to: restricting the number of customers in a store at one time, enhanced cleaning practices and touch-free transactions whenever possible.  

Restaurants in these same counties are permitted to open on Monday, May 18 with added health and safety precautions, including physically distancing customers, ensuring employees follow enhanced hygiene and sanitation practices, and  controlling customer flow through reservations whenever possible. The May 11 and May 18 timelines align with the opening of the same businesses in New Hampshire. 

Additionally, remote campsites as well as sporting camps, which provide access to wilderness activities such as canoeing, hiking, hunting or fishing, are also permitted to open with public health safeguards in these same counties only on Monday, May 18 to Maine residents or those who have completed the 14 day quarantine. 

“With low case counts, no evidence of community transmission, and, now, expanded testing capacity, we believe it is appropriate to gradually lift some limitations on certain businesses in our rural counties with health and safety precautions to protect public health,” said Mills.  

“Small businesses are the backbone of rural economies, and we are glad that expanded testing allows for additional rural businesses to more safely open while following guidelines that will help keep Mainers healthy,” said Heather Johnson, commissioner of the Department of Economic and Community Development. “Businesses have given us constructive suggestions on how they can improve the safety of their work, and we look forward to that continued engagement as we examine how to reopen the economy while protecting public health.”

In announcing these changes, the administration also released the health and safety guidance that rural retail stores and restaurants must follow. This guidance comes in the form of the COVID-19 prevention checklists, which have been created by the Department of Economic and Community Development in close collaboration with industry and public health experts. Sporting camps guidance is expected next week.

As with other businesses under the Governor’s plan, these establishments are permitted to open, but are not required to do so. Additionally, while the Governor’s strategy determines which types of businesses may reopen and when, it does not preclude a municipality from adopting additional public health measures related to reopenings, including applying additional restrictions on establishments within their jurisdiction.  

“We are very pleased that Governor Mills and her team worked closely with us to allow a considerable number of retailers to safely reopen next week,” said Curtis Picard, president and CEO of the Retail Association of Maine. “In addition to helping the economy recover, the ability for people to help support their local stores will help everyone’s mental well-being. Make no mistake, it is imperative that retailers and customers shop safely and abide by the guidelines. Doing so will help the industry continue to open in the coming weeks.” 

Throughout the process, the Maine CDC is monitoring epidemiological data, such as case trends and hospitalization rates, as well as health care readiness and capacity, to inform decisions on the safety of proceeding through stages and lifting restrictions. The Administration will also continue to evaluate standards outlined in the Governor’s vision statement, such as testing capacity and contact tracing, to inform decisions about proceeding. On May 7 Mills announced that her administration secured a major expansion of testing through a new partnership with Maine-based IDEXX Laboratories Inc. 

Adjusted for population size, Maine as of yesterday ranked sixth lowest in the nation in terms of positive cases; 36th in the nation in terms of deaths; 27th in terms of patients ever-hospitalized out of the 32 states reporting; and 10th in the percentage of people who have recovered out of the 38 states reporting.  

“The IDEXX agreement adds an important testing safeguard,” said Dr. Nirav D. Shah, director of the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention. “Coupled with increased contact tracing, it provides Maine CDC with essential resources needed to continue the process of protecting public health.”

For now, retail stores and restaurants in York, Cumberland, Androscoggin and Penobscot counties, where community transmission of COVID-19 has been established, will not be permitted to reopen until June 1, the proposed start date for Stage 2 of the Governor’s Restarting Maine’s Economy plan. However, all  retail stores in Maine can provide curbside pickup while restaurants can continue to provide take-away and delivery services, as they have been allowed to do throughout the state of civil emergency. Guidelines issued today for rural retail stores and restaurants will apply to retail and restaurants in counties of community transmission slated to open June 1. 

The Mills Administration also announced the following statewide adjustments to Stage 1 of Restarting Maine’s Economy plan: 

• Fitness and exercise gyms, initially categorized in Stage 2, will now be permitted to open on May 11 for outdoor classes of 10 or less. One-on-one personal training inside fitness centers will be also be permitted.

On April 28 Mills presented her administration’s plan to gradually and safely restart Maine’s economy. The plan established four stages for reopening, the first of which took effect on May 1 and builds upon the Governor’s previous Executive Orders that already allows grocery stores, pharmacies, financial institutions, home repair services, child care agencies, and car repair services, among others, to operate.  

The administration continues to work closely and collaboratively with various sectors of Maine’s economy as well as public health experts to determine the best path forward to protect the health and safety of Maine people and gradually restart the economy. The administration continues to work closely with the tourism and hospitality industries to develop strategies that will allow for a safe tourism season. 

Mills continues to urge Maine people, especially those who are more vulnerable to the virus such as older Mainers and those with underlying health conditions, to stay healthy at home. Physical distancing and practicing good hygiene, like frequent hand washing with soap and warm water, are effective strategies to stay healthy and protect yourself against COVID-19.