PORTLAND, Maine (AP) Maine’s governor says employees at local stores who encounter people who won’t comply with the state’s mask requirements shouldn’t have to enforce the rules themselves.

Maine Gov. Janet Mills, a Democrat, issued an executive order last week that requires people in the state to wear a mask in all public places, regardless of their ability to socially distance.

She said during an appearance on Maine Public that too much of the burden of enforcement often lands on store employees.

She says those employees shouldn’t have to be the “COVID cops.” Mills recommends residents who encounter people who aren’t following the mask rules talk to store managers or local authorities.

Cases of the virus are increasing in Maine.