Governor Mills today extended the State of Civil Emergency (PDF) for thirty days through October 1, 2020. The Governor’s decision to extend the emergency is in line with nearly every other state in the nation which have ongoing emergency declarations, according to the National Governors Association. The state of New Hampshire renewed its state of emergency (PDF) for the eighth time last Friday, August 28th.

“Thanks to the efforts of Maine people, who have largely abided by public health measures intended to keep us all safe, our state has been relatively successful in mitigating the spread of COVID-19 in the last few months. The outbreaks which we hear about in other states every day can sometimes feel far away from the relative safety of our state, but recent events prove that one little match can spark a fire that may be very difficult to put out,” said Governor Mills. “Pandemic fatigue is setting in, but we cannot let down our guard, especially as some of our schools and universities bring students back on campus and back into the classroom. Let's stay focused on the end game: keeping everyone safe and healthy and protected from this dangerous virus.”

A State of Civil Emergency allows Maine to draw down critical Federal resources and to deploy all available tools to respond to and contain COVID-19. This is Governor Mills’ sixth extension of the State of Civil Emergency. Under Maine law, Proclamations of Civil Emergencies may be issued in thirty day increments.

As of last Tuesday, August 25th, adjusted for population, Maine ranks 2nd lowest in the nation in terms of positive cases; 6th lowest in deaths; 2nd lowest in patients ever-hospitalized out of the 36 states reporting; and 6th highest in the percentage of people who have recovered out of the 45 states reporting.