Mills Offers Details on Required Face Coverings in Public Settings
Gov. Janet Mills' recent extension of the state's stay at home order requires that, starting May 1, everyone wear face coverings in public places where physical distancing is difficult to maintain. On Thursday, the governor provided more details.
The standards on when and where people must wear face coverings are based on those provided by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control as a means of containing the spread of COVID-19.
Under Maine's "Stay Safer at Home" order, people must wear face coverings at places including indoor spaces such as grocery stores, retail stores, pharmacies and health care facilities. It also applies to outdoor spaces including playgrounds, busy parking lots, and other areas such as lines for take-out service. It also applies to all public transportation, taxis and car services such as Uber and Lyft.
"Ultimately, this is about protecting our communities. By wearing a cloth face covering, you are taking an important step in protecting others, and when others wear them, they are taking an important step in protecting you," Mills said.
Here's a guide from the CDC on how to make a cloth face covering.
Maine heath officials have found "community transmission" of the disease in four Maine counties -- Penobscot, Cumberland, York and Androscoggin.
On Wednesday, state health officials identified an outbreak at Bangor's Hope House, where 20 people had tested positive for the virus.