The BDN is making the most crucial coverage of the coronavirus pandemic and its economic impact in Maine free to all readers. Click here to see all the coronavirus stories and here to get the free collection. You can join others committed to protecting this vital public service by purchasing a subscription or by donating directly to the newsroom.
AUGUSTA, Maine – Interior bar service will not be allowed to resume on July 1, as previously scheduled, Gov. Janet Mills announced Monday due to high risks of coronavirus.
Nirav Shah, director of the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention, said last week that the state was re-evaluating its original plan to allow the reopening of indoor bars as part of Phase 3 of the state’s reopening plan, citing groups of coronavirus cases in other states. they were linked to indoor bars.
In a statement, Mills called the decision to keep the bars closed “difficult but necessary.” His administration did not say Monday when interior bar service could resume. Outdoor sitting bar service was allowed to resume in most counties in early June and in all Maine counties as of last Wednesday.
