Maine Reinstates Coronavirus Restrictions Amid Rising Cases
CONCORD, N.H. (CBS/AP) – Maine is reinstating restrictions meant to curb the spread of COVID-19 amid a resurgence of the virus, Gov. Janet Mills said Sunday.
Maine has been one of the most successful states at controlling the virus, but it's dealing with a wave of new infections. The rolling average of daily cases more than doubled from below 30 per day to more than 67 by Friday. The state reported 103 infections that day, the largest single day increase in cases.
The state had been slated to reopen bars Monday, but that has been postponed to a yet-to-be-determined date, said Mills, a Democrat.
The state is removing New York, Connecticut and New Jersey from its list of states that are exempt from travel restrictions, Mills said. That means visitors from those states must quarantine for two weeks or produce a negative coronavirus test.
Maine is also reducing indoor capacity limits from 100 to 50, Mills said.
"If we do not control this outbreak, we may never get this evil genie back in the bottle," she said.
The new restrictions take effect Wednesday. The Mills administration said recently it plans to distribute 400,000 rapid antigen tests. The testing will be available at no charge later this month, the administration said.
New Hampshire Republican Gov. Chris Sununu warned that coronavirus cases are rising in the state, and the increase could continue. New Hampshire recorded 205 new cases on Saturday — the largest single-day figure in the state since the start of the pandemic.
"The situation here in New Hampshire remains very serious, the data shows that community transmission is increasing, and we expect cases to rise," Sununu said. "We must all remain vigilant in our daily lives. As we enter these winter months, it will be more important than ever to wear your mask, practice social distancing, and maintain proper hand hygiene."
Last week, Massachusetts and Connecticut added each other to their state's coronavirus travel advisory, asking travelers in either direction to quarantine or test negative.
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo discouraged travel to and from Massachusetts, but stopped short of putting Massachusett's on the state's advisory list.
(© Copyright 2020 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)