PORTLAND, Maine — A meeting of governors from around the country that had been scheduled to take place in Maine has been moved online to reduce the risk of spreading the coronavirus.
The Summer Meeting of the National Governors Association (NGA) was slated to convene Wednesday in Portland. Portland would have been the host of the meeting for the first time since 1983 and was meant to coincide with Maine's bicentennial and 100th anniversary of national women's suffrage.
The association says the event has been moved online “in accordance with public health guidelines and to afford governors from around the country a forum to meet and discuss common goals and priorities without leaving their home states, commonwealths and territories.”
A spokesperson for Mills' office says the Governor believes moving the meeting virtual was the right decision, "both for the health of Maine people and for the participants."
Mills hopes to hold a future meeting of the NGA in Maine when it is safe to do so.
The organizers of the event said more than 40 governors are expected to participate in the meeting where they'll share public policy ideas and discuss trends.
The NGA says during the meeting, Maryland Governor Larry Hogan will hand the reins to New York Governor Andrew Cuomo as chair of the association representing all 55 governors of states and territories.