AUGUSTA, Maine — From canceling the NBA season to the St. Patrick's Day parade in Portland.
Every day, every hour we are seeing events being canceled or postponed over concerns about COVID-19.
The Maine CDC says one of the best ways to combat the spread of the virus is through 'social distancing' -- a term we are hearing a lot of lately.
‘Social distancing’ is a new term for avoiding crowds to slow down the virus. That's why state health officials are pushing for but not mandating postponing non-essential indoor events over the next 30 days.
At a news conference Thursday, Governor Janet Mills recommended postponing non-essential indoor gatherings of 250 or more people. That includes hockey games, basketball games, meetings, and events. Governor Mills says the recommendations do not include closing schools but following the guidance from the CDC when it comes to limiting contact.
Health experts say 'social distancing' could prevent a huge spike in cases of the virus which is spread through respiratory droplets. This strategy could slow down the rate of an epidemic and causes less of a strain on our state's health care system.
"Reducing the interaction of large groups of people across the state will play a role in reducing an outbreak and substantially reduce the spread."
The Governor also suspended all non-essential state employee travel outside of Maine. Again an effort to limit the risk of exposure to the virus in other states.
For more information on Covid-19 from the Maine CDC go here.