PORTLAND, Maine (AP) New mask guidance took effect Monday in Maine, which meant residents no longer needed to wear face coverings indoors in most situations.
Maine residents, with the exception of state employees, can go maskless in most indoor settings, except for schools and day care.
State officials are still recommending that people who are not yet vaccinated against COVID-19 wear a mask indoors.
Maine Gov. Janet Mills, a Democrat, made the decision in mid-May to align the state rules with the latest guidance from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The state is also lifting physical distancing requirements at indoor public settings where people are eating or drinking, such as bars and restaurants.
Conservative lawmakers in Maine lose posts after mask row
Associated Press 1 day ago By PATRICK WHITTLE, Associated Press
PORTLAND, Maine (AP) Maine s Democratic house speaker stripped seven conservative lawmakers of committee assignments on Monday after the group had a confrontation with Capitol Police about mask rules in the Maine State House.
Republican Rep. Laurel Libby released a video of the confrontation, in which the lawmakers entered the state house without masks on. A Capitol Police officer approached the group, and members said they weren t required to wear masks and continued on.
The lawmakers actions came after the Legislative Council decided last week along party lines to require masks when lawmakers return to the state house, even though a statewide requirement is ending. House Speaker Ryan Fecteau said the mask rules are about demonstrating “a respect for our shared workplace and shouldn t be a partisan issue.
The FEMA mobile vaccine unit giving COVID-19 vaccinations across Maine is accepting walk-up appointments while it is stationed in Windham. The site is only accepting walk-ups on Wednesday and Thursday, and only at the Windham location. "I think that's the group that is for whom convenience is the premium. These unscheduled hours is where I'm hoping to offer a service," said Dr. Nirav Shah, director of the Maine CDC during Tuesday's media.
Maine Has a New Mobile COVID Vaccination Clinic for Rural Areas
Governor Janet Mills has announced a partnership with FEMA that will provide COVID vaccines for people in rural areas.
For some Mainers, especially elderly residents of rural communities, getting to a location where they can get a COVID-19 vaccination could prove very challenging. And if they receive a Moderna or Pfizer vaccine, that would mean making the trip to a health facility or mass vaccination clinic twice. That s a lot of traveling for people who may no longer drive, or who would find the journey too taxing.
So the Mills Administration has announced a mobile vaccination unit that will bring the shots to them. Over the next two months, the vaccination clinic will travel to 10 communities, including Oxford, Fryeburg, Calais, Madawaska, and others:
Mobile COVID-19 vaccination unit opens in Maine Hannah Dineen
Replay Video
Maine has launched its first mobile COVID-19 vaccination clinic.
Starting at 11 a.m. on Monday at the Oxford Casino, people began to trickle in for vaccination appointments.
Gov. Janet Mills and Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Regional Administrator Paul Ford were there to unveil the state s new weapon against the coronavirus. What a great day, Mills exclaimed before introducing her colleagues. They are some of the many people to whom we owe a great debt of gratitude and appreciation today for helping to set up this important milestone in the greatest logistical challenge Maine and the nation has undertaken in generations.