June 24, 2020

The Mills Administration today posted additional COVID-19 Prevention Checklists for businesses and activities to voluntarily resume on July 1 as part of Stage 3 of the Administration’s Restarting Maine’s Economy Plan . The checklists, written in close collaboration with industry leaders and public health experts, outline health and safety protocols for businesses and activities to comply with in order to resume safely. The checklists posted today include:

• Spas and skin care establishments, including laser hair removal and similar services
• Outdoor amusements, such as amusement parks and water parks
• Indoor amusements, such as bowling and arcades
• Movie theaters
• Performing arts venues

Additionally, in response to feedback from businesses and public health experts, the Department of Economic and Community Development has updated guidance for some businesses already open under the Restarting Maine’s Economy Plan.

“These reopenings represent a positive step forward for Maine and our economy, but Maine people and businesses must remain vigilant,” said Governor Mills. “The increasing, and in some instances record high, number of COVID-19 cases in other states are cautionary tales for Maine as we continue our reopening, monitor the prevalence of the virus here, and look towards our economic recovery. Nothing would be more devastating to our economy than a significant surge in the virus that sickens and kills more people and jeopardizes our health care capacity. By taking good care of ourselves and others, we can continue to reopen safely.”

“With the release of these Stage 3 COVID-19 Prevention Checklists, we continue to make progress in safely re-opening Maine’s economy,” says Heather Johnson, Commissioner of the Department of Economic and Community Development. “The Administration will continue to work hard to reopen businesses while remaining vigilant in the fight against this virus and planning our long-term economic recovery.”

“The expansion of business reopening is paralleled by the expansion of public health practices to protect Maine residents and visitors,” said Jeanne Lambrew, Commissioner of the Department of Health and Human Services. “This includes the quadrupling of Maine’s testing capacity in July and increasing access to tests for people throughout the state.”

The vast majority of Maine’s economy has been reopened under the Mills Administration’s Restarting Maine’s Economy plan. With the initiation of Stage 3, that will only continue to grow, and Maine remains either on a par or ahead of other northeastern states in terms of its reopening.

Adjusted for population size, as of June 22, Maine ranked eighth lowest in the nation in terms of positive cases; 11th lowest in the nation in terms of deaths; 6th lowest in terms of patients ever-hospitalized out of the 36 states reporting; and 5th highest in the percentage of people who have recovered out of the 43 states reporting.