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.
