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Reminder: County Positivity Rates Still Apply

As many of you heard yesterday, Wednesday July 29, 2021 Gov. Janet Mills announced that Maine will follow the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's updated face covering guidance, which recommends that people wear face coverings in certain areas. Obviously, this is not applicable to our homes or care settings as staff are required to continue to mask regardless of our county transmission rates or vaccination status of the individual. 
 
The new CDC guidance recommends:
  • all people, regardless of vaccination status, wear face coverings in indoor, public settings in areas with “substantial” or “high” levels of community transmission; and
  • all teachers, staff, and students in K-12 schools wear face coverings, regardless of vaccination status or community transmission level.
In terms of our homes this new alignment does not change our current requirements; however, MHCA would like to remind you that when it comes to COVID testing frequency of UNVACCINATED staff members your county positivity rate still remains the measure that indicates your frequency. As of 7/22/2021 all Maine counties fall into the LOW range of positivity.

Staff Contact: dwatford@mehca.org