COVID-19: Communities, Workplaces, and Schools

Communities, workplaces, and schools all play a role in helping to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

On this page:

 

Community Mitigation

Community mitigation activities are actions that people and communities can take to slow the spread of infectious diseases, including COVID-19. Mitigation strategies include:

  • Personal protective measures (handwashing, wearing face coverings, etc) that individuals can use while in community settings
  • Social distancing (maintaining physical distancing of 6 feet or more from others)
  • Environmental surface cleaning at home and in community settings like schools and businesses

Please see U.S. CDC's full Community Mitigation Framework (PDF).

 

Businesses and Workplaces

Worker safety and support is critical to responding to the COVID-19 pandemic. U.S. CDC has many resources available including health and safety steps for specific occupations.

Maine's Department of Economic and Community Development (DECD) has industry specific COVID-19 prevention checklists for safely operating businesses. New industry checklists will be distributed ahead of each staged opening to allow businesses to prepare. A general checklist (PDF) is available for all businesses to follow and can be used if your business/organization does not have a specific checklist. For questions about checklists or what you need to do to open your business, please contact Maine DECD by calling 1-800-872-3838 or by emailing business.answers@maine.gov.

U.S. CDC also has guidance available for cleaning and disinfecting facilities as well as guidance for reopening buidings after shutdown.

As businesses work on updating and revising their safety plans and contingency plans for if a case is identified in their workplace, a number of questions may come up that businesses need help answering. First, check to see if U.S. CDC has addressed the question in their frequently asked questions website for businesses. If that question is not addressed, you can contact Maine CDC at 1-800-821-5821 or by email at disease.reporting@maine.gov (this email is not secure and patient information should not be sent).

 

Schools and Child Care

Please see Maine's Department of Education (Maine DOE) webpage for COVID-19 for the most recent updates and resources for schools.

U.S. CDC also has Interim Guidance for Administrators of K-12 Schools and Child Care Programs available. This guidance should be used in collaboration with Guidance from Maine DOE. Additional Guidance from U.S. CDC is available for Child Care Programs, including a Child Care Decision Tool to help assist directors and administrators in making (re) opening decisions during the COVID-19 pandemic.

If you are looking for child care, please visit the Child Care Choices website. Please visit Maine's Child Care Subsidy Program website for information on the Child Care Subsidy Program and information on applying.

Additional U.S. CDC Guidance