Maine Hotels Will Be Allowed To Take Reservations for June

Gov. Janet Mills on Thursday announced Maine lodging providers can start accepting future reservations for arrivals from June 1 and beyond.

Conversations with Maine's hospitality and tourism representatives prompted the governor to change the directive from a previous executive order, which had prohibited taking reservations that early in the summer.

The 14-day quarantine order remains, however, and out-of-state residents, as well as Maine residents who have been away, will be expected to comply. When pressed to define how the 14-day quarantine is being enforced, Commissioner Heather Johnson of the Department of Economic Development acknowledged the two-week quarantine is basically running on the "honor system," and the hope that visitors respect the need to keep Mainers safe.

"We are acting in partnership with the (tourism and hospitality) industry to resume reservations," Governor Mills said in a media release, "while we also work together to evaluate alternatives to the 14-day quarantine, including testing and other protocols, that will allow us to protect Maine residents and tourists during the summer months."

Lodging establishments who begin taking these reservations will need to comply with the state's newly updated reopening health and safety requirements. In addition, they will need to be prepared to cancel and fully refund those reservations if the directive needs to altered, due to changes in the status of Maine's pandemic.