OLD ORCHARD BEACH, Maine — The Town of Old Orchard Beach is urging visitors, especially young visitors, to “mask up” amid the coronavirus pandemic.
In a video public service announcement, the town is calling on its visitors to be “part of the solution” in stopping the spread of COVID-19. The video features various town officials talking over a backdrop of a typical scene in Old Orchard Beach—showing crowded beaches and streets. A majority of visitors shown are maskless.
“We know wearing a mask isn’t fun, but it’s the most important thing you can do to stop the spread of COVID-19,” the video says.
“This isn’t about you and how you feel. This is about the people around you—your parents, your, grandparents, your friends, and your family. We don’t want to be part of the reason why cases increase, or businesses close, or school can’t reopen.”
Few people were wearing masks Wednesday, a cause for concern for some visitors.
"Some people are wearing them. Some people aren't," Grace Higgins said.
Higgins and her grandmother, who were spending the day at the beach, were surprised by how many people were not adhering to the guidelines.
"There are a lot of great people coming into Old Orchard from both in state and out of state right now," Old Orchard Beach Fire Chief Fred LaMontagne told NEWS CENTER Maine. "Every time someone's in a new setting, it's a new set of rules. So if they're here on vacation or visiting us for the day, they go back to regular habits...so we can support them by those regular reminders."
The town used some federal funds through the CARES Act to launch the campaign, including the video, banners and ambassadors handing out hundreds of free masks.
Under an Executive Order signed in April by Gov. Janet Mills, face coverings are required in public places where physical distancing is difficult to maintain, as recommended by the U.S. CDC. Mills took the measure a step further in July, requiring businesses in Maine’s larger coastal cities and towns to enforce the mask mandate.
""At the beginning, a lot of people weren't cooperating. It definitely took putting signs up telling people to wear their masks for them to really do so," Katrin Dumont who works at Bill's Pizza said.
RELATED: Mills signs Executive Order mandating mask enforcement, extends state of emergency through August 6
The order focuses on areas that see an influx of tourists in destinations along Maine’s coast. Under the order, municipalities may enforce the use of face coverings on streets and sidewalks, in parks and other public spaces where individuals are not able to maintain at least six feet of physical distance.
On its website, the Town of Old Orchard Beach explains its four key priorities with regards to operations to respond to the pandemic:
- The safety of our residents, especially the seniors in our community and those residents with underlying health issues which make them particularly vulnerable to illness.
- The safety and well-being of our employees,
- our first responders, so they can continue to serve and protect our community
- our front-line employees who routinely interact with customers at the counter, in the field, or in program services
- all employees as they carry out their job responsibilities on a daily basis.
3. Urging everyone to follow and practice at home and at work the healthy practices of regular and thorough hand washing, use of hand sanitizer, and frequent sanitizing of surfaces or objects that are commonly used by different people.
4. Implementing “social distancing” policies and practices as recommended by the U.S. Center for Disease Control (CDC). Social distancing involves limiting mass gatherings, not congregating in large groups, and maintaining distance from others to limit the ability of the virus to spread.
“Join us for part of the solution,” the video says. “Let’s act like the responsible adults we are and stop the spread.”