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Maine State Chamber News for June 4, 2020

To view this Daily Impact online, click here.

 

 

Welcome to your COVID-19 Impact newsletter!

As a valued member of the Maine State Chamber of Commerce, we plan to stay in touch with you several times each week through emails like this one and on Facebook and Twitter, until the pandemic passes. We intend to provide you with the latest state and federal information, as well as highlighting the creativity and innovation that is occuring here in Maine during this unpredictable and rapidly changing time. To assist you in navigating the uncertainties ahead, we have created a diverse and comprehensive collection of web-based resources to help you take care of yourself and your family, your employees, your business, and your community.

Do you have a question? ASK THE EXPERTS.

We are here to help in any way we can!

 

 

"Work With ME" launched Monday; Lodging Groups Offer Reasonable Tourism Re-Open Plan

In a press release issued Monday, a group of hotel owners have asked Governor Janet Mills and her administration to work with them to salvage what is left of the 2020 tourist season. "Work With ME" launched on Monday, with supporters urging Gov. Mills to eliminate the 14-day quarantine and replace it with responsible solutions to keep residents and visitors to Maine safe. The group of owners represents properties serving 18 municipalities in 38 hotels with 3,175 employees. Several of the hotels associated with the "Work With ME" group have been safely operating in Maine since the start of the COVID 19 pandemic.

 

"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 Governor 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 70-95% over last year. The pain is now real. Further delays are digging a hole for our associates and business that may be impossible to recover from."

 

"There is no question that we have the procedures and protocols to take extra measures to keep people safe," said Connie Russell, General Manager at the Samoset Resort in Rockport. "We have implemented very thorough and effective safety protocols designed to keep our employees, customers, and the communities we operate in as safe as possible. The mandate of a 14-day quarantine for every out-of-state visitor is not workable and is helping to destroy Maine's economy. 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. We call on Governor Mills to work with us and lift the quarantine immediately."

 

Overall, 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.

 

"There is a balance between keeping our population healthy and keeping our economy healthy," said Russell. "The tourism industry cares about the people of this state as much as anyone. Our industry consulted National CDC guidelines and prepared plans to safely and responsibly operate our hotels, motels and lodging establishments with safety measures that exceed requirements. We are prepared to protect our guests and our employees and do our part to preserve Maine's economy. We're quickly running out of time. We're asking Governor Mills to immediately end the fourteen-day quarantine and allow us the chance to provide responsible commerce."

TAKE ACTION! "Work with ME" is not looking for financial support, but simply the support of Maine's people. Please visit www.WorkWithMaine.com to review their plan and add your voice to this coalition, and like/follow their Facebook page for updates. As you know, time is of the essence.

 

In Light of Data Trends, Mills Administration Accelerates Business Openings in Rural Counties

Department of Economic and Community Development posts additional COVID-19 Prevention Checklists and continues its work on a proposed plan for the tourism season

The Mills Administration today announced additional business reopenings under the Governor's rural reopening plan. Under the update, in 13 counties, tasting rooms and bars may open for outside service and gyms and fitness centers, nail salons, and tattoo and piercing parlors may open with added health and safety precautions beginning on Friday, June 12th. These establishments may reopen everywhere in all counties except for York, Cumberland, and Androscoggin Counties.

 

This update accelerates the reopening of bars and tasting rooms for outside service, as well as the reopening of tattoo and piercing parlors, all which were originally scheduled to reopen statewide as part of Stage 3 (July 1). It also allows gyms and fitness centers as well as nail salons to resume operations in these 13 counties. These updates come in light of low case count trends in these thirteen counties where the relative small number of cases has largely either remained steady or decreased. Consistent with past practice, these businesses must comply with added health and safety precautions in the form of COVID-19 Prevention Checklists as a condition of voluntary reopening.

 

The developments come as the Mills Administration also works to provide an alternative to the State's 14-day quarantine that seeks to protect the health and safety of Maine people and allow tourists to visit Maine safely and support our small businesses.

 

The Department of Economic and Community Development also posted statewide Stage 2 COVID-19 Prevention Checklists today for businesses. Additionally, in response to feedback from businesses and public health experts, the Department has updated guidance for some businesses that are already open. The checklists, written in close collaboration with industry leaders and public health experts, outline health and safety guidance that businesses and activity organizers must commit to comply with in order to reopen as part of the Administration's Restarting Maine's Economy Plan. DECD has also added individual sectors that may safely operate utilizing existing checklists for clarity purposes. Examples include photography and film businesses may operate utilizing the "general guidance" and mini-golf may operate using the "community sports" checklist.

Additional Checklists:

* Driver Education Schools

* Gyms and Fitness Centerso

* Tattoo and Piercing Parlors

* Barbering and Cosmetology Schools

Updated Checklists:

* Retail

* Inland Fish and Wildlife Outdoor Activities

* Specific Guidance for Charter Boats instead of using Outdoor Activities

* Marinas

 

To reserve your banner ad in the COVID-19 Impact, please contact Melody Rousseau
by emailing
melodyr@mainechamber.org, or by calling (207) 623-4568, ext. 102.

 

Thank you for doing your part! 

 

Governor's Economic Recovery Committee | Tourism, Hospitality & Retail Subcommittee Schedule

The Governor's Economic Recovery Committee (ERC) is engaging economic experts and industry representatives from across Maine to develop specific policy recommendations to stabilize the state's economy and build a bridge to future prosperity in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. All meetings of the Committee and the subcommittees are open to the public. The public is encouraged to comment via this online portal. Submissions can be targeted by topic area and will be sent to the relevant subcommittees. In addition, members of the public who wish to contact Committee staff may email EconomicRecoveryCommittee@maine.gov.

 

The ERC's Tourism, Hospitality & Retail subcommittee will be meeting with the following schedule until July 17:

 

Wednesdays and Thursdays from 8:30 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. (June 3 until July 16) | You may register once for this webinar and attend any of its scheduled occurrences. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.

Fridays from 9:30 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. (June 5 until July 17) | You may register once for this webinar and attend any of its scheduled occurrences. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.

 

Community COVID-19 Testing Proposed

The Mount Desert Islander reported yesterday that, while the details differ, both the state and a Downeast task force have drafted plans to use increased testing for the new coronavirus as a way to move toward easing restrictions on travel, business and other activities. As peak visitation season nears, all eyes have been on Governor Janet Mills, whose executive order requiring that out-of-state visitors quarantine for 14 days has drawn outcry from the lodging industry.

 

The state proposal, circulated for industry feedback this week, is to allow visitors who can prove they've recently tested negative for COVID-19 to forego the 14-day quarantine.

 

The Downeast COVID-19 task force plan, by contrast, focuses on symptomatic testing; contact tracing for non-residents, which members said is a gap in the current state CDC process; and paid leave and quarantine for employees who test positive, and those they've come in contact with.

 

Thursday, June 4 | The Bottom Line Podcast

with Steve Hewins, president and CEO of Hospitality Maine

Steve Hewins, president and CEO of Hospitality Maine, was this week's special guest on The Bottom Line podcast. He joined The Bottom Line co-hosts Dana Connors of the Maine State Chamber of Commerce and John Williams of Williams Broadcasting to discuss the COVID-19 pandemic's impact on Maine's tourism sector and their proposal for safely reopening that key part of the state's economy.

 

To listen to the recording, please visit The Bottom Line page on the Maine State Chamber's website.

 

Webinar on WorkShare:

An Alternative to Layoffs

 

Tuesday, June 16 | 2:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m.

 

The next presentation in our webinar series explores how employers may be able to avoid layoffs by choosing the WorkShare alternative. In lieu of a layoff, employers can temporarily reduce work hours in a particular unit, shift or company from 10% to 50%. To help offset the loss of hours, the affected workers can receive a modified weekly unemployment benefit. Join us to learn more about this program and how it might work for your business. Our presenters for this webinar are Commissioner Laura Fortman and Deputy Commissioner Kim Smith of the Maine Department of Labor.

WEBINAR SERIES SPONSORS: Bangor Savings Bank, Central Maine Power Company,
and Maine Department of Economic and Community Development

 

Additional webinars will be forthcoming, and sponsorship opportunities are available. Registration or general questions can be directed to Angela Arno, director of programs and events for the Maine State Chamber of Commerce, by emailing aarno@mainechamber.org or calling (207) 623-4568, ext. 104.

 

ConnectMaine Awards Broadband Grants to Seven Maine Communities

On Tuesday, June 2, ConnectMaine Authority announced that its Board has approved $554,500 in grants to seven communities across Maine for broadband infrastructure and planning. ConnectMaine is providing infrastructure grants to the communities of Argyle, Bremen, and Hudson, bringing fiber-optic service to 982 locations in those three communities. The grants are matched by $1,187,005 from the communities being served and the ISP building out the broadband service.

 

ConnectMaine is also providing $53,250 in grants to Swans Island, Litchfield, East Grand Lake Region, and Sanford for community broadband planning. These grants are designed to help engage communities, identifying needs and engage potential broadband service providers to expand the availability of broadband to their area. These grants are matched by $63,250 from the communities seeking funding.

 

Maine's Higher Education Leaders Propose Principles for Safe Fall Reopening

Higher Education in Maine planning for a safe fall return to campus and meeting essential scholarship and service functions of the $4.5 billion sector of the state's economy.

 

Campus leaders commit to partnering with state and public health leaders on strategies that improve safety and limit the spread of Covid-19 on campuses and in Maine communities.

This afternoon, Maine's higher education leaders released a collaborative statement of principles for safely reopening their campuses this fall that summarizes the $4.5 billion impact and essential functions of the state's 38 colleges and universities. The Framework for Reopening Maine's Colleges and Universities in Fall 2020 includes strategies and practices that can be implemented in partnership with civil and public health leaders to improve safety on campus and limit the spread of Covid-19.

 

The framework serves as a guide for decision-making by institutions and for informing collaboration with state and public health partners. It includes six guiding principles for the safe reopening of Maine institutions of higher education as well as detailed topics and factors for further consideration. The framework commits Maine's colleges and universities to periodic consultation and collaboration across the sector and with public partners.

 

The plan has also been shared with U.S. Senator Susan Collins in advance of today's U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions hearing, Covid-19: Going Back to College Safely.

 

Mainers Helping Mainers and Maine Businesses

 

For more information
and if your organization would like
to partner on this effort, please email Mark Ellis at mellis@mainechamber.org.
Thank you for helping
to spread the word!

Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, Mainers are coming together in countless ways to support one another, our communities, Maine employers and their employees. The Maine State Chamber recently launched a public awareness campaign, This is ME Counting on You, encouraging all Mainers to do their part to stop the spread of COVID-19.

Maine employers are doing their part. We are counting on each and every Maine individual to also act safely and responsibly so Maine reopens successfully, we can all get back to business, Maine people can get back to work, and Maine's economic recovery can begin.

We are excited to report that the effort's PSA is now airing on both cable and Maine Public television stations across the state.

We hope you will check the website's Resources page for free floor stickers, printable posters with safe practice reminders to hang in your workplace, and more. Please like and follow the initiative on Facebook, and feel free to share what your organization and employees are doing related to safety practices associated with COVID-19 using the hashtag #MECountingOnYou.

The Maine State Chamber is also proud to partner with the Portland Regional Chamber on Pay It Forward Maine, a collaborative community initiative and website containing an ever-growing library of ideas, tools, and resources for Mainers to support businesses, organizations, each other, and themselves during this pandemic.

With shifting timelines and continuously evolving guidelines as Maine begins the re-opening process, many businesses are still feeling the strain of lost revenue and uncertain futures. They need our support more than ever.

Be sure to check the Pay It Forward Maine website, listen to their radio PSA which you can find on the website, and share social media posts of your organization and others that are open (and how) with the hashtag #PayItForwardMaine so that we can all support them.

If you have additional ideas for how to #PayItForwardMaine, please share those with the Portland Chamber directly or in your #PayItForwardMaine or #BacktoBusinessMaine social posts.




Thank you for your help to #PayItForwardMaine!

 

Use the Maine State Chamber's Blog and Daily Impact to Tell Your Story!

Numerous Maine companies are stepping up or pivoting nimbly, as Maine people resourcefully address the challenges of this pandemic. Share your perspective and experience with us and with the rest of the business community. How are you facing and overcoming the challenges posed by this pandemic? What are you and your employees doing in this dramatically different economy? Tell us about the innovations your company or employees are making or ways you have adapted your company to meet your customers' needs.

 

Each blog entry should be 300 to 500 words. Join us in creating a written history of the business community's resilience and innovation during this extraordinary time. Please submit your entries to blog@mainechamber.org. For more information or questions, please contact Mark Ellis by emailing mellis@mainechamber.org or by calling (207) 623-4568, ext. 109.

 

Webinar Recap:

How to Support the New "Work from Home" Model

 

 

Maine business leaders share "Work-from-Home" strategies, safe workplace return protocols, and the economic opportunity remote work presents

The Maine State Chamber of Commerce, in partnership with Educate Maine, hosted a webinar today focused on maintaining business continuity in the new work-from-home model and the economic opportunity remote work presents for Maine. Panelists Matt McGrath, president & CEO of Systems Engineering, and Laurie Mitchell, assistant vice president of global wellbeing and health management for Unum, shared what is working well for their companies to keep employees engaged while working remotely, strategies for safely returning to the workplace, and the future of the work-from-home model. Nate Wildes, executive director of Live + Work in Maine, discussed how Maine can use remote work opportunities as one way to attract people to live and work in Maine, and how this can benefit Maine's economy.

 

Megan Diver, senior government relations specialist at the Maine State Chamber, said "The best practices and strategies presenters shared - and their emphasis on the need for agility and resilience - are crucial to the wellbeing of Maine businesses and their employees during the pandemic and are a valuable resource for all employers, whether in a time of crisis or not. We greatly appreciate the insights our presenters shared today."

 

Special thanks to Unum, Systems Engineering, Live + Work in Maine, Educate Maine, and to our Webinar Series Sponsors: Bangor Savings Bank, Central Maine Power Company, and Maine Department of Economic and Community Development. Please click here to view the one-hour recording of today's webinar.

 

Recap | Maine State Chamber's Regional Breakfast Series, A Virtual Update

On Wednesday morning, June 3, the Kennebec Valley Chamber of Commerce hosted the Maine State Chamber's Augusta Area Regional Coffee Hour, the last in our virtual update series. The Chamber's Advocacy team reviewed the work of the legislative session prior to its abrupt adjournment in mid-March, and made a few predictions about a possible special session, the coming election season, and even how the 2021 session might look given the pandemic.

 

THANK YOU TO OUR SERIES SPONSORS:

Casella Waste Systems, Inc.; Central Maine Power Company; Maine Department of Economic & Community Development; Northeast Delta Dental; Versant Power; VHB

 

Webinar Recap | 2020 Maine State Chamber Health Care Forum

On Wednesday, May 27, the Maine State Chamber hosted its annual Health Care Forum. The webinar provided attendees with entensive detail, information and insight from our panel of experts - Denise McDonough, president of Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield in Maine; Kristine Ossenfort, senior government relations director at Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield in Maine; and, Eric Cioppa, superintendent of the Maine Bureau of Insurance, one of five agencies within the state's Department of Professional and Financial Regulation.

 

The conversation centered on the changing nature of coverage in Maine, both through legislation and through innovation. McDonough discussed the innovation in the marketplace and cost-saving initiatives being undertaken by Anthem. From their unique perspectives on the Maine insurance marketplace, Ossenfort and Cioppa discussed the legislative events of this past session and the policy changes enacted by lawmakers that are likely to impact the individual and small group markets in terms of policies, coverage, and price.



If you missed it,
the hour-long recording
is
available online.

THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS:

Premier Sponsor:

Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield

Program Sponsors: Cross Insurance

Martin's Point Health Care

University of New England

Supporting Sponsors:

MaineHealth

Northern Light Health

 

 

To join these advertisers in the COVID-19 Impact, please contact Melody Rousseau
by emailing
melodyr@mainechamber.org, or by calling (207) 623-4568, ext. 102.

 

TO UNSUBSCRIBE, CLICK HERE.

NOTICE: In an ongoing effort to thwart the activities of online hackers, the Maine State Chamber
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Copyright Maine State Chamber of Commerce. All rights reserved.
 128 State Street | Suite 101 | Augusta, ME 04330-5630
 Phone: (207) 623-4568
For media inquiries, please contact Jen Webber, (207) 939-0213
For membership inquiries, please contact Mark Ellis. (207) 623-4568
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