Delta variant

Portland, Maine, Could Return to Indoor Mask Rules

A return to a mask mandate would make Portland the first municipality in the state to go that route

Face Masks
Getty Images

Maine's largest city is considering a return to indoor mask rules due to the rise of COVID-19 in the state.

Portland City Council is scheduled to discuss the possibility of an indoor mask mandate on Sept. 8. The entire state was under an indoor mask mandate until late May, when it was lifted.

A return to a mask mandate would make Portland the first municipality in the state to go that route. The Portland Press Herald reported City Councilor Andrew Zarro requested the workshop because of a surge in cases caused by the delta variant.

Maine health authorities have said the delta variant is responsible for almost all the new cases of coronavirus in the state. New cases of the virus have been climbing over the course of the summer in Maine, as they have around the country.

The pandemic has led to more than 900 deaths in the state.

Justin Kanew's speech during a public comment period at a Williamson County Board of Education meeting encouraging parents to have their kids wear masks has gone viral. Kanew quoted his pastor who said "wearing masks is not in the bible, but taking care of others is."
Copyright AP - Associated Press
Contact Us