This week I shared some great news – we have secured a new partnership with IDEXX in Westbrook to provide enough COVID-19 test supplies to more than triple our current testing capacity.
With this additional capacity the Maine CDC will be able to better gauge the prevalence of the virus throughout the state and, in turn, it opens a new set of possibilities as we examine how to safely restart Maine’s economy.
That is why this week, I also announced a rural reopening plan aimed at reopening certain additional businesses in more rural parts of our state in the next couple of weeks.
Hello, this is Governor Janet Mills and thank you for listening.
I am referring to counties where community spread is not present and where there are significantly fewer cases — Aroostook, Piscataquis, Washington, Hancock, Somerset, Franklin, Oxford, Kennebec, Waldo, Knox, Lincoln, and Sagadahoc counties.
In these counties only, starting next Monday, May 11th, retail stores may open for in-store customers with new health and safety precautions.
Also in those same twelve counties, beginning Monday, May 18th, restaurants may open for outdoor dining and for limited dine-in service, also with strict health and safety precautions
In those same counties as well, beginning Monday, May 18th, remote campsites and sporting camps are permitted to reopen with certain public health safeguards.
We are also making small adjustments to the plan statewide as well.
Fitness and exercise centers will now be allowed open on May 11th for outdoor classes of 10 people or less or for one-on-one personal training instruction inside a gym.
All our health and safety guidelines, formed with consultations with the industries, are found on the Department of Economic and Community Development website at www.maine.gov/decd.
With these changes, we letting these establishments reopen but not requiring them to. And if you are immuno-compromised, or if you care for someone who is, you should not feel compelled to go back to work or to patronize the businesses. And I urge employers to be flexible with their people when considering reopening.
For now, retail stores and restaurants in York, Cumberland, Androscoggin, and Penobscot counties – where community transmission of the COVID-19 virus is established – they will not be permitted to reopen to in-store shopping or dine-in service until June 1, the tentative start date for Stage 2.
These establishments can continue to provide telephone order, curbside pick-up, take-out, and home delivery though.
Maine CDC will continue to monitor case trends and hospitalization rates, and health care capacity, to inform our decisions on the safety of lifting or reinstating restrictions.
Ultimately, the success of this rural reopening plan depends on the ability of these businesses to conscientiously follow these health and safety precautions; and the ability of Maine people to strictly adhere to physical distancing, and wear face coverings to protect others, and to continue to practice good hygiene, including washing your hands often with soap and warm water.
If you are an older Mainer, or someone with an underlying health condition, please continue to stay home as much as possible, regardless of where you live.
My Administration will continue to work with businesses and various sectors of the economy, solicit feedback, consult with public health experts, and move forward in a thoughtful and deliberate way with public health always as our number one priority.
I feel like we are seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. But that tunnel is surely a long one and there are still dark corners before we get to the end. Let’s take it one step at a time and navigate this storm together.
On this Mother’s Day weekend, I thank everyone who is listening who is a mother, or a stepmother, or grandmother, thank you for what you do for your families and for all of our communities across the state.
This is Governor Janet Mills. Thank you for listening.