The Henry W. Longfellow Statute in Downtown Portland is Wearing a Face Covering During This Pandemic.
A Close-up of the Beloved Portland Poet Doing his Part by Wearing his Face Covering in Downtown Portland.
At the outset of the briefing today, Dr. Nirav Shah, Director of the MaineCDC, reported that there have been 1,040 confirmed cases of the deadly virus, an increase of 17 since his last report. No new deaths were reported, remaining at 51 since his last briefing. “We are headed in the right direction, making progress,” Dr. Shah said. “The curve has flattened. We are trending in the right direction, although there is a possibility of a spike on any day.”
Governor Janet T. Mills made several important announcements today at the daily press briefing on the COVID-19 pandemic in Maine.
Governor Mills will extend the state’s stay-at-home order with a “stay safer at home” order that will extend through May 31, 2020. That date could be changed dependent on other factors. The Order in place was scheduled to end on April 30, 2020.
The Governor’s second announcement focused on a phased and safe reopening of the state’s economy – not based on essential or non-essential – as she has emphasized in the past. The Governor’s four stage plan establishes four stages to resume business operations and activities … that involve a low risk for potential transmission of the virus. The earlier stages permit small businesses to reopen, but only with additional safety precautions. Should there be an unexpected spike in the virus, the anticipated plan could change.
Stage 1: Beginning May 1st, it continues the prohibition on gatherings of more than ten people, the quarantine of all people entering or returning to Maine for a period of fourteen days and the special precautions for older Mainers and others at risk….it will also newly require that Maine people wear face coverings in public situations where physical distancing measures are difficult to maintain and continue strict requirements for long-term facilities. (Falmouth by The Sea, Falmouth Foreside, a private nursing home is reporting a total of 32 cases of the COVID-19 – an increase from nineteen cases formerly reported). Guidance on cloth face coverings will be issued in the coming days. Stage 1 also allows for the limited expansion of certain businesses, religious and quality of life activities. For example, barber shops, hair salons and pet grooming businesses will be permitted to open as well as state parks, among the other small businesses included in this stage.
Stage 2: Beginning on June 1st tentatively, Stage 2 contemplates revising the limitation on gatherings from less than ten people to less than fifty people. It also calls for people who can work from home to continue to do so, but allows for employees in certain fields to begin to reenter the office as needed, including state employees. It maintains the 14 day quarantine for all people entering or returning to Maine and the special precautions for older Mainers and others at risk of COVID-19 with appropriate safety precautions. Stage 2 would allow for some degree of opening with reservations, capacity limits, and other measures for restaurants, fitness and exercise centers and nail technicians, retail stores for broader in store shopping, lodging and campgrounds for Maine residents and those who have met the fourteen day quarantine requirement, day camps for Maine children and those who have met the same fourteen day requirement, coastal state parks.
Stage 3. (July & August) Tentatively beginning July 1st, Stage 3 contemplates meeting the prohibition on gatherings of more than 50 people and other Stage 1 and Stage 2 restrictions, including the fourteen day quarantine on people entering Maine. It includes lodgings such as hotels, campgrounds, summer camps, or RV parks for Maine residents and visitors. The administration is developing guidelines to assist them in safely reopening and reservations should not be taken until those guidelines are issued. They include outdoor recreation such as charter boats and boat excursions, bars and personal services such as spas, tattoo and piercing parlors and massage facilities, among others.
Stage 4. (Timeline undetermined). Stage 4 contemplates lifting restrictions and allowing all businesses and activities to resume with appropriate safety precautions. In order to reopen, various sectors of Maine’s economy will be required to work with the Department of Economic and Community Development to implement practical, reasonable, evidence-informed safety protocols and modifications that protect the health and safety of employees and customers. These accommodations may be as simple as closing break rooms, providing flexible working hours, employee training and installing plexiglass shields or as complex as adjusting a businesses’ sales process and reducing occupancy to ensure employee and customer safety.
This collaboration between DECD and the private sector will result in what will be known as a COVID-19 Preventive Checklist. There checklists will identify best practices for the business specific to its operations as well as general best practices related to physical distancing, hygiene, personal protection and maintenance of clean workplaces. among others. The checklists, which will differ sector to sector, will undergo a rigorous review process including from government officials, health experts and industry representatives. Once completed, businesses that commit to complying with the requests on the checklist will be provided a badge to post on their business door or website, their names will be posted on the DECD website and they will be allowed to open. Health provides on Maine will follow US CDC and professional association guidelines.
Last week, Governor Mills outlined her vision for a gradual and safe reopening of Maine’s economy amid he novel coronavirus pandemic, emphasizing four principles that will guide the state’s decision-making process, including protecting public health, maintaining care readiness, building reliable and accessible testing and prioritizing public-private collaboration. The Governor also invited Maine people to offer their ideas through a portal launched by DECD. To date, more than 1,600 submissions have been received.