Maine government and tourism officials are currently reviewing a draft of a "Keep ME Healthy" plan which the Mills Administration has proposed as an alternative to requiring persons entering or re-entering Maine from out of state to quarantine for 14 days.
Continuing the quarantine requirement through July and August would kill Maine's 2020 summer tourist season, and result in the shuttering of many small businesses.
The quarantine requirement is the subject of 3 separate Federal lawsuits filed by Maine businesses and churches and some out-of-staters who want to come to Maine to camp. On Friday, US District Judge Lance Walker denied a motion by plaintiffs in one suit to suspend the quarantine while the suit proceeds.
And, meanwhile, also on Friday, the US DOJ filed a Statement of Interest in the case opining that the quarantine is "likely unconstitutional".
Under the proposed "Keep ME Healthy" plan, people entering/re-entering could avoid the quarantine requirement by providing proof of a recent negative COVID-19 test. What proof would be needed and how recent remain to be determined.
(In the EU, for visitors to avoid quarantine, Austria and Cyprus currently require medical certificates from a government agency, not older than 4 or 3 days, respectively.)
Also, operators of lodging properties would have to require documentation of a negative test before accepting a reservation, and to contact persons already booked to inform them of the testing requirement.
The Mills Administration has said the "Keep ME Healthy" plan will encourage tourists to visit Maine, because they want to go places where they can feel safe; also that testing is more readily available where prospective visitors live than in Maine.
Will potential visitors wait until the quarantine issue has been resolved to firm up their summer 2020 vacation plans? Will people with lodging reservations already booked cancel when told they have to be tested? What's the capacity for COVID-19 testing in, e.g., Massachusetts? Is it sufficient to test at the levels wanted by Gov. Charlie Baker and Boston Mayor Marty Walsh to ensure safety of residents, plus accommodate a bunch of people who only want the test so they can travel to Maine? Will anyone besides summer-home owners show up from out of state?
Stay tuned for updates.
