Governor Janet Mills on Wednesday announced an update to her plan to reopen the state’s economy.
The governor’s administration announced that restaurants in Cumberland, York and Androscoggin Counties will not be allowed to offer dine-in service yet, but can still allow customers to dine in outdoor seating areas.
Under the previous version of the governor’s plan, those restaurants would be allowed to let customers inside starting on Monday, June 1st. Under the changes, they can begin allowing outdoor dining only on that date.
“Given the trends we are seeing in certain parts of Maine, our Administration is revising the plan to align with what is in the best interest of public health. To that end, rather than permitting dine-in services in Androscoggin, Cumberland, and York Counties as we had originally planned, we will be allowing outside dining only with precautions, a move we believe is safer for the health of Maine people and that balances the economic needs of these businesses,” said Governor Mills.
A new date for dine-in services in those counties has not yet been determined.
Mills cited a recent increase in coronavirus case numbers and coronavirus-related hospitalizations in those three counties.
She says the state will work with restaurants to accelerate and streamline the process to obtain licenses to operate outdoor areas.
“We recognize this is an incredibly difficult time for the business community, and we will do all we can to work collaboratively to develop solutions that keep people safe and create opportunities for businesses,” said Heather Johnson, Commissioner of the Department of Economic and Community Development. “We believe that is what we have done here, and we will continue to examine similar opportunities moving forward.”
Penobscot County joins 12 other Maine counties that will be allowed to offer dine-in services on Monday, proceeding to Phase 2 of the reopening plan.
Retail stores in all Maine counties will also be proceeding to the next phase, allowing customers inside with precautions in place, including occupancy limits. That begins Monday.
