Blog

Mills Releases COVID-19 The Moving Maine Forward Plan

On Monday March 8, Mills released updates to "The Moving Maine Forward Plan" which establishes a clear timeframe to increase gathering capacity limits and provides Maine businesses with predictability to the reopening plan. Keep in mind that these timeframes and capacity adjustments can be dialed down at any point if Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention (Maine CDC) determines hospital capacity is at risk or if a new variant strain poses a significant risk to public health in Maine.

This update also included a new revision to Maine's Travel Policy which went into effect last summer. This new plan updates and targets Maine's travel policy. Effective immediately, the plan:
  • Adds Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Rhode Island to the list of states exempt from the test or quarantine requirement. New Hampshire and Vermont had previously been exempt. These states have reduced their positivity and active case rates.
  • Exempts those who have either recently had COVID-19 or been fully vaccinated against COVID-19, regardless of their state of origin, from the test or quarantine requirement. Federal requirements related to international travel, however, remain in effect.
Effective May 1 the plan:
  • Shifts Maine's COVID-19 travel policy requirements from an “all states included, unless exempt” model to an “all states exempt, unless included” model. This means that travelers from all states are automatically exempt unless otherwise determined by the Maine CDC.
  • Under this new model, the Maine CDC will be charged with identifying states that have a high prevalence of highly contagious COVID-19 variants. If one or more states see a spike in variant cases, Maine will apply its test or quarantine requirement to travelers to and from that state. This more targeted approach will remain in effect through the summer.
Staff Contact: dwatford@mehca.org

Calendar

View Calendar