MAINE, USA — Maine roads were busy Sunday as thousands of people returned home to the Pine Tree State after a long weekend break for Thanksgiving. This comes as the state continues to see increasing COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations, and health officials are urging caution.
"You know with people coming back from gatherings, we're really worried about the capacity of our hospitals," said Dr. Dora Mills, Chief Health Improvement Officer with MaineHealth.
The Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention does not update COVID-19 data on Sundays or holidays, however, Maine CDC Director Dr. Nirav Shah tweeted over the weekend that there are only 44 available ICU beds across the state.
Following Thanksgiving gatherings across the state and beyond, Mills is urging safety and caution as folks return to the office, classroom, and beyond.
"All five of these layers — vaccinations, masking, distancing, testing, and ventilation — they're all layers of protection," she said.
Mills also encourages Mainers to keep in contact with people that were with over the holiday and weekend, in case someone at your Thanksgiving table tests positive for COVID-19.
"Just make sure that you are in touch with those people so that if anyone comes down with COVID, you know about it because the quicker you know, the more quickly you can be tested," she said.
One traveler heading back to Maine, Liz Mahaleris, stopped at the Kennebunk Service Plaza Sunday after traveling to Rhode Island for Thanksgiving with family. "I'm feeling pretty good, but I might take a test just to make sure, keep my coworkers safe and other family here," said Mahaleris.
UMaine freshman nursing student Dylan Gherlone also stopped in Kennebunk on his way back to Orono from Connecticut. He says he's feeling comfortable heading back to campus but will wait and see how Thanksgiving gatherings impact COVID-19 cases.
"I know we've got a mask policy so that'll help," said Gherlone.
Others stopping at the rest area, like Louise Ouellette, said traveling for Thanksgiving to Massachusetts was the first time she's left Maine in about two years. "It was exciting; it was wonderful. It was really great to see people," said Ouellette. She added, however, that she's not letting her guard down.
"I'm still cautious, I'm still cautious," said Ouellette.
Mills said she's hopeful Mainers will be cautious and continue to practice things like social distancing, masking, and getting vaccinated to stop the spread of COVID-19 following Thanksgiving.
"Vaccination, first and foremost, masking distance, ventilation, and testing. They apply to all settings. They apply to holiday gatherings, they apply to your workplace, they apply to your schools. So you just kind of list them off, and just think about how ... you don't have to do all of them all the time, you can't necessarily do all of them all the time, but how many layers can you add of protection. And the more layers you can have added the better," she said.