May 18, 2020

To further protect the health and safety of essential employees in Maine, including members of the media, the Maine Emergency Management Agency (MEMA) is providing 1900 cloth face coverings to the Maine Association of Broadcasters (MAB) for distribution to the state's broadcast media outlets.

"Throughout this pandemic, Maine's essential workers on the frontlines have never stopped serving their fellow citizens. As we begin to safely restart Maines economy, we have an even greater responsibility to protect public facing workers, including members of the media who keep Maine people informed during these uncertain times," said Governor Mills. "Our administration will continue to distribute protective supplies to critical industries. This, combined with increased testing, is an important part of our overall plan to contain the virus and prevent further outbreaks."

MEMA and the CDC continue to receive shipments of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) for essential workers and are working to prioritize distribution of those shipments statewide. Approximately 631,521 pieces of PPE have been delivered through coordination between MEMA and Maine CDC to date.

"MEMA has already distributed these face coverings to the Maine Association of Broadcasters and is working to distribute more personal protective equipment as we receive supplies to other essential employees, including grocery and food production, energy sectors and emergency services communications, as quickly as possible," said MEMA Director Peter Rogers. "It is our goal to marshal state and local emergency management agencies to orchestrate reliable distributions of supplies statewide, and I encourage all industries to work with their county to request the equipment they need to stay safe."

"Our colleagues in the media have played an important role in helping us share information about COVID-19 with Maine people," said Dr. Nirav D. Shah, Director of the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention. "We are pleased that our partners at MEMA are helping broadcasters do what they can to limit exposure to the virus."

The masks will be distributed by the Maine Association of Broadcasters to broadcast media outlet employees who are responsible for maintaining the operational continuity of stations.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends wearing cloth face coverings in public settings where social distancing is difficult to maintain, especially in areas of significant community-based transmission. The masks can be routinely washed, depending on the frequency of use.

Essential industries seeking cloth face coverings or other PPE should contact their county emergency management agency. For additional information on Covid-19 and other state emergencies, please visit Maine.gov/MEMA, or visit MEMA on Facebook or Twitter.