Maine working to attract tourism from 5 states deemed safe

AUGUSTA, Maine (WABI) -The Maine Office of Tourism is spending $2 million to attract people to visit the state, even with restrictions in place for some tourist because of the coronavirus.

The campaign includes TV, radio and social media ads targeting the five states that Maine is currently allowing visitors from without a 14-day quarantine.

Those are Vermont, New Hampshire, New York, New Jersey and Connecticut.

During Wednesday’s CDC briefing, Dr. Nirav Shah says that it’s safe for these visitors because data shows their states are as safe or safer than Maine currently.

“An individual coming from those states does not add to the risk faced by Maine people,” said Shah. “That’s the standard by which we’ve approached that determination. In epidemiological terms although there are no guarantees the data suggests that the individuals from those states can come to me for short periods of time like vacation and not bring an added risk with them.”

Shah says there are currently no plans to add additional states to this list, although officials continue to evaluate when that might be possible.