Governor Mills Orders Continuation Of Business Curfews
For the second day in a row, the Maine CDC reported on Wednesday nearly 600 new cases of the COVID-19 coronavirus. And, it was reported Wednesday morning that another person had passed away with the virus.
Due to the continued high positivity rate, Governor Mills has made the decision to continue what was supposed to be a temporary mandate.
According to WMTW, Maine Governor Janet Mills announced the continuation of the early closure mandate on certain types of businesses.
Since just prior to Thanksgiving, some Maine businesses have been mandated to close by 9 PM. These businesses include restaurants, bars, theaters, casinos, and various other entertainment venues. Despite the "curfew" these businesses will still be able to operate normally during the day and will be able to offer take-out service even after 9 PM.
Sadly, the continuation of this mandate will negatively affect the majority of the businesses to which this applies.
The logic for the "curfews" is that, as the night goes on, customers at these establishments are less likely to follow social distancing and other precautionary measures.
Initially, it was to prevent the spread of the virus between people who were home for the Thanksgiving holiday. That was later extended through New Years' Eve in order to prevent the spread from people celebrating Christmas and New Years'. Now, it looks like it will continue for the foreseeable future.
Citing an increase in case numbers, and concerns about hospital capacities, Mills has said the mandate will continue "until further notice". Currently, there are 177 people hospitalized with the virus in Maine. 48 of those are in intensive care and 19 are on ventilators.
As the owners of the affected businesses attempt to figure out how they will stay afloat, please consider support those businesses that will be most-distressed by the continuation of the mandate.