Governor Janet Mills on Wednesday announced another change to the state’s policy for out-of-state visitors from additional states in the northeast.
She says the change came as a result of encouraging numbers in Connecticut, New Jersey and New York, including lower coronavirus positivity rates. In light of that, she says visitors from those states will not be required to quarantine or provide proof of a negative coronavirus test result when they enter Maine.
Those new exemptions go into effect on Friday, ahead of the July 4th holiday.
Visitors from Vermont and New Hampshire are already exempt from those requirements.
“Maine’s updated policy on visitors is a holistic review of public health metrics that have guided Maine’s fight against COVID-19 from the start,” said Jeanne Lambrew, Commissioner of the Department of Health and Human Services. “Maine people should be proud of our successes to date, but residents and visitors alike must remain vigilant by wearing face coverings and practicing physical distancing and good hand hygiene.”
Governor Mills says she still strongly encourages visitors from any state to get a coronavirus test before visiting Maine this summer.
The governor will also be signing an executive order requiring the use of face masks at public-facing businesses in Maine’s coastal counties.
She said Wednesday the order will affect large retail stores, lodging establishments restaurants and other places. Maine CDC Director Dr. Nirav Shah says it’s a wise move, as the state’s coronavirus positivity rate has crept up in recent days, which was anticipated as economic activity begins to ramp back up.
The order applies to public-facing businesses in Hancock, Waldo, Knox, Lincoln, Sagadahoc, Cumberland, and York counties, as well as Bangor, Brewer and the Lewiston-Auburn area.
