Bar Harbor asks visitors to stay home — for now
File photo / Laurie Schreiber
The town of Bar Harbor, a popular tourist destination, is asking visitors to stay home. Seen here is Agamont Park, where visitors congregate each summer to check out sights along the waterfront.
The town of Bar Harbor, whose 3 million yearly visitors are mainly concentrated in warmer months, is asking visitors to stay home — at least for now.
On March 20, the town council issued a statement on its website saying, “The Bar Harbor Town Council appreciates our visitor and tourist-based businesses, but at this time we recommend that everyone stay home and avoid unnecessary travel. The town’s tourist services such as food and bathroom facilities are very limited.”
Last week, the council issued an emergency order that suspended cruise ship visits until at least May 1.
This morning, Acadia National Park issued an advisory that notes Bar Harbor’s update and warns visitors of the park’s own limitations.
That includes limited shoulder-season services that are further reduced by the COVID-19 response and limited medical service and rescue provider capability. The majority of the Park Loop Road is closed to traffic, as well as all park campgrounds, public restrooms, food vendors and in-person visitor services. Both the Bar Harbor Chamber of Commerce Visitor Center and the Rockefeller Welcome Center at the Schoodic portion of the park are closed.
For those who still decide to visit Acadia, the park urges adherence to CDC guidelines.
“While outdoor spaces remain accessible to the public in accordance with the latest health guidance, seek out areas that are not crowded to allow for adequate social distancing,” the advisory says. “If you encounter a crowded trailhead, go elsewhere.”
The town of North Haven also issued a resolution last Friday encouraging people to limit travel to and from the island.
But the town’s select board rescinded a March 15 order banning all travel except for “essential purposes.” That ban included seasonal residents.
The March 20 resolution said North Haven “has extremely limited ability to cope with the pandemic. The addition of even a few people could strain those resources to the point where more people would become at risk.”
The town, other island communities and the Knox County commissioner also coordinated a letter to Gov. Janet Mills, asking her to authorize the Maine State Ferry Service “to take appropriate steps to protect people from the virus.”
In addition to measures the service has already implemented, such as sanitizing common surfaces, the letter suggests steps such as tying open passenger compartment doors during loading and unloading, so passengers don’t have to touch door handles; encouraging passengers to use restrooms in the terminals rather than on the ferries; encouraging passengers to remain in their vehicles while on the ferry; prioritizing transportation of freight, particularly food and medical supplies; and reducing the number of passengers in the ferry cabin.
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