PORTLAND, Maine (AP) - Maine plans to maintain travel restrictions on residents of Massachusetts and Rhode Island despite impatience from some hotel operators in the state.
Maine requires visitors from Massachusetts and Rhode Island to self-quarantine for 14 days or provide documentation of a negative test for coronavirus. The state has eased restrictions on residents of Vermont, New Hampshire, New York, Connecticut and New Jersey.
Work With ME, a group that represents hotels, said Thursday the restriction is “embarrassing” and it’s time to lift it. Dana Connors, president of the Maine State Chamber of Commerce, said Massachusetts is Maine’s top feeder of tourism dollars and “its exclusion will continue to have a negative impact on our summer tourism-based businesses.”
A spokeswoman for Democratic Gov. Janet Mills said the positivity rate for Massachusetts and Rhode Island remain the highest in New England and the administration’s position has not changed.
“Residents of Massachusetts and Rhode Island are not prohibited from traveling to Maine, and Maine welcomes them, which is why the state is providing the testing alternative to the quarantine requirement,” said the spokeswoman, Lindsay Crete.
In other news related to the pandemic in Maine:
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NEW CASES
Maine health officials reported 20 new coronavirus cases on Thursday, bringing the total number of cases to 3,598. State officials have also reported 114 deaths from the virus.
For most people, the virus causes mild or moderate symptoms. For some, especially older adults and the infirm, it can cause more severe illness and can lead to death.
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UNEMPLOYMENT UP
The number of Maine residents filing new unemployment claims went up last week after it had been trending downward.
About 8,000 initial claims, including claims for both state and federal benefits, were filed last week, up from 5,100 claims the previous week, the Portland Press Herald reported.
The Maine Department of Labor said Thursday an uptick in unemployment claims in July is expected because of temporary mill closures. However, the department said it’s analyzing the increase in claims because of concerns about fraud attacks on unemployment insurance around the country.
The department said it has also extended the date when unemployed Maine residents who are permanently separated from their employer must start searching for work to Aug. 9.
Unemployment has spiked in Maine and around the country because of the impact of the coronavirus pandemic. The labor department said it paid out more than $1 billion in state and federal unemployment benefits between March 15 and July 11. It paid less than $74 million in all of 2019.
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