State plan would allow some to bypass quarantine, but lodging industry says it's not enough
Photo / Maureen Milliken
The state is working on a plan that would allow some visitors to bypass the two-week quarantine requirement, but those in the lodging business want the quarantine scrapped entirely.
Maine is working on a plan that may allow some visitors to bypass the 14-day quarantine required of out-of-staters before they can stay at a hotel or motel, but a new group representing lodging owners wants the quarantine lifted immediately.
Department of Health and Human Services Commissioner Jeanne Lambrew said Tuesday that work on the state plan is underway, and would provide science-based criteria for some visitors to skip the quarantine. She didn't give a timeline on when it would be implemented.
On Monday, a group of lodging owners asked Gov. Janet Mills and her administration to work with them "to salvage what is left of the 2020 tourist season," including scrapping the quarantine in favor of health and safety measures the hospitality industry has put together.
As of Monday, under Stage 2 of the state reopening plan, lodging businesses can allow stays by state residents and out-of-staters who have quarantined privately in Maine for 14 days. Lambrew said that as Maine moves toward Stage 3, her department and the Department of Economic Development have started working with stakeholders on a safe way to reopen lodgings further. As it stands, Stage 3 still keeps the quarantine intact through July and August.
The state plan has not been made public. But Don Carrigan, of WCSH-TV, obtained a copy and questioned Lambrew about it at Tuesday's daily Maine CDC briefing.
Lambrew said that seasonal visitors "as everybody knows, swell the population in Maine to many times its current population."
She said that the state is circulating its proposal to businesses and tourist groups for input that's needed to finalize it. While she didn't give specifics, she said the out-of-staters would have to prove they have recently tested negatively for the virus.
"We think the framework we are considering about thinking about alternatives to quarantine, using symptom checks that are science to get at COVID-19 and really engage in communities makes some sense, but we want input on how to do that, so we continue to engage this week as we develop proposals for the governor's review," she said.
She would not give a timeline for when a plan might be made public, saying the state works "day and night" on solutions. "We know people want to work, want to engage, but want to do it safely," and the plan will be done as quickly as the state can.
'Quarantine not workable'
Connie Russell, general manager of the Samoset Resort in Rockport, said in a news release from the Work With ME group that the the 14-day quarantine for all out-of-state visitors is "not workable" and asked the state to lift it immediately.
"Having a responsible plan allowing for common sense actions to be taken to ensure safety is a very achievable goal, but time is not on our side. We have to act now," he said in a news release from the group.
Steve Hewins, CEO of HospitalityMaine, told Mainebiz this morning that his organization has been working with the Work With ME group, and all members are also HospitalityMaine members. The group's plan is taken directly from the organization's proposed reopening plan sent to the administration on April 22.
Hewins and some hospitality business owners have said that although the original plan was submitted at the state's request, the industry still feels it's not having as much input as it would like.
"We wish this discussion was happening three or four weeks ago," Hewins said. "We never advocated for a quarantine or a testing plan." Parts of the state's new plan " are very good and supportable by most of our members," he said, but there are also concerns, and a lack of support for any testing component.
"Questions that have not been answered include the availability of tests in origin locations, the costs of them, HIPAA laws and basically whether visitors will even do this when this is not required for our traditionally competing destinations like New Hampshire," he said. "It doesn't sound like a full lift of the quarantine. Many are looking to the New Hampshire plan as a better solution for Maine."
In New Hampshire, overnight guests can sign a waiver saying they quarantined for at least 14-days before arriving in the state; in Maine the quarantine must take place in Maine.
Hewins said that last year, 22 million people visited the state during the summer, according to Department of Transportation statistics..
"Most hotels are currently reporting less than 5% of last year’s business on the books for 2020," he said. "The quarantine is sealing the fate of many, especially the smallest operators who have no financial cushion to fall on. At this critical point, we cannot afford a mistake in policy or a risky testing program that may not work as intended."
Maine’s hospitality sector had a statewide economic contribution, including multiplier effects, of an estimated $6.9 billion in output, 79,000 full- and part-time jobs, and $2.2 billion in labor income, according to a study released last fall by HospitalityMaine.
Widespread anxiety, responsible solutions
Work With ME is made up of 38 hotels in 18 municipalities, employing 3,175 people, according to a news release Monday, though members are not listed on its website.
The Work With ME group has asked Mills to replace the quarantine with "responsible solutions to keeping residents and visitors to Maine safe." The group said the quarantine has spurred "a whirlwind of cancellations from potential visitors, lost revenues and widespread anxiety about the future of the industry in Maine."
The group said it has provided an updated plan to the state that includes strict adherence to state guidelines. Like the state’s plan, a phased-in approach to opening is recommended, with initial strict requirements for social distancing, limiting group gatherings,and no breakfast buffets at hotels where it is normally offered.
“We have been actively trying to convey the extreme harm that the 14-day quarantine requirement has and will continue to have on our economy from the moment it was announced by Gov. Mills,” said Eben Salvatore, director of operations at Bar Harbor Resorts.
“We knew immediately it was going to have a devastating effect on us and our entire state. Unfortunately everyone got to see just how much trouble we are in over Memorial Day weekend. The few restaurants that tried to operate in Bar Harbor for the holiday weekend have reported losses between 70% to 95% over last year. The pain is now real," he said. "Further delays are digging a hole for our associates and business that may be impossible to recover from."
Salvatore also said that some hotels have operated safely in Maine and in the rest of New England, where essential workers and others have stayed during the pandemic with no staff getting sick. Russell also said that there are no hotel outbreaks nationwide. A recent NPR study listed staying in a hotel as a low risk. "We can continue to act responsibly, and safely open our doors so our economic health is also preserved."
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Typical Maine, unfortunately: late to come up innovative solutions from people actually in business, not the public sector. The image of Maine as non-business (and now, non-visitor) friendly is well-deserved...devastating for so many owners who have put their life's savings, homes, retirement, etc on the line but apparently can't be trusted to make sensible, safe decisions!
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