AUGUSTA, Maine — Gov. Janet Mills and the Department of Economic and Community Development released additional guidelines for Maine businesses Wednesday evening as the start of the reopening Maine plan Stage 2 approaches.
Under any stage of the plan, businesses and activities must adhere to CDC guidelines and follow the prevent checklists in order to reopen. Businesses slated to reopen on June 1 under the plan include those in the public gatherings, hospitality, outdoor recreation, personal services, retail, and education and training industry categories.
New additions to the guidance for Stage 2 are for museums and for transportation.
The checklists, written in collaboration with industry leaders and public health experts, are extensive and detailed, providing information about how staffing, cleaning, and customer interaction, as well as other operations, should be handled amid the pandemic and reopening phase. Businesses and activities must commit to comply with the checklist in order to reopen.
In addition to the two new checklists, the Department has also updated guidance for some businesses that are already open. The updates came in response to feedback from businesses and public health experts.
Updated checklists:
The general guidance for museums includes the following:
- Museums are encouraged to continue to offer and promote digital and remote programming.
- Require all staff, vendors, and visitors to maintain 6 feet of physical distance from individuals who are not part of their household group whenever possible.
- Require all staff, vendors, and visitors to wear a face-covering where physical distancing is difficult to maintain, per CDC recommendations and pertinent Executive Orders from the Office of the Governor. Face coverings are not required when individuals are alone in personal offices.
- Understand the square footage of the visitor-accessible space in your building and limit the number of visitors to no more than the maximum allowable number described in the following chart.
- The number of individuals that can gather in a shared space (e.g., a conference room) must not exceed the limit established by the Governor’s Executive Order.
- Maintaining physical distancing of 6 feet and wearing face coverings are the primary tools to avoid transmission of respiratory droplets between individuals. If an indoor space cannot accommodate the gathering limit without complying with the six-foot distancing requirement, attendance must be limited to allow for such compliance.
To read the complete museum checklist, click HERE.
The general guidance for transportation:
- Require all staff, vendors, visitors, and riders to maintain 6 feet of physical distance from individuals who are not part of their party whenever possible.
- Require all staff, vendors, visitors, and riders to wear a face covering, per CDC recommendations, and pertinent Executive Orders from the Office of the Governor.
- The number of individuals that can gather in a shared space (e.g., conference room, bus) must not exceed the limit established by the Governor’s Executive Order.
- Maintaining physical distancing of 6 feet and wearing face coverings are the primary tools to avoid transmission of respiratory droplets between individuals. If an indoor space cannot accommodate the gathering limit without complying with the six-foot distancing requirement, attendance must be limited to allow for such compliance.
- Infection risk while in transit depends on the proximity of riders, duration of the trip, number of riders, and the ability to ventilate appropriately. Given the various transportation methods, efforts should be made to minimize risk in each of these areas.
To read the complete transportation checklist, click HERE.
“We continue to collaborate closely with public health officials and members of the business community in our shared goal of gradually reopening Maine’s economy,” Heather Johnson, Commissioner of the Department of Economic and Community Development said. “The updates that we have provided today, which are a direct result of that collaboration, protect both public health and the health of our economy.”
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