Reconnecting with family and friends around the table sharing a good meal and expressing our gratitude for the gifts we’ve been given — all of that is at the heart of Thanksgiving. It’s also one of the riskiest things we can do right now for our health and the health and lives of our loved ones.

Hello, this is Governor Janet Mills.

I have three brothers, a sister, five daughters, and five grandchildren, including two little girls that I love to hug and hang out with — I would love to get together with them over the holidays, but I don’t want COVID-19 to be the uninvited guest in our home.

For the upcoming holiday, some of my family will be hunting; some will be hiking; most will be outdoors in some way, and some will be taking part in a small, safely distanced get-together, with face coverings and inviting others to join virtually. It won’t be the same as everyone getting together in-person, but it will allow us to see each other, talk to each other, while making sure we are all safe – and that is what is most important now.

We’re all in the same boat here. So as you make plans for Thanksgiving, please consider whether an in-person gathering is absolutely necessary — although it’d be nice, but is it necessary? — and, if you think it is, how can you make it safer. Please remember that while a negative test is another tool to help you stay safe, it is just a snapshot in time. It’s not a free pass to skip the simple actions that we know limit the spread of the virus.

If you plan to host or attend any in-person gathering over the holiday season, anywhere, outdoors or indoors, consider taking the following steps recommended by the U.S. CDC to reduce COVID-19 transmission:

1. Limit the total number of people you invite to allow people from different households to stay six feet apart.
2. Host outdoor, rather than indoor gatherings. I know we are entering the colder months, but crowded, poorly ventilated spaces pose a big risk of COVID-19 spread.
3. If you do host an indoor event of any kind, open the windows and doors to allow for greater air circulation.
4. Have everyone wear face coverings when they are not actually eating or drinking. It’s important to remember that even with face coverings, people from different households should stay six feet apart from each other.
5. Make sure your bathroom is stocked with enough soap and single use towels, or provide hand sanitizer as well if soap and water aren’t readily available, so guests can clean their hands often.
6. Try to limit contact with commonly touched surfaces and items, like serving utensils. Have one person who is wearing a mask serve food to everyone. That’s safer than everyone using the same spoon out of a bowl of mashed potatoes.
7. Wash dishes right after dinner, as well as tablecloths or cloth napkins you may have used. Clean and disinfect commonly touched surfaces and use gloves and wash your hands when handling or disposing of trash as well.

All of these tips are found at the national CDC.Gov website.

We got news recently that two vaccine candidates are showing promise, but the fact is returning to normal life sometime next year, which we hope for, first requires us to survive the holidays this year.

To the Maine people who are listening, it’s not fair that so much has been placed on your shoulders these last few months. I want you to know that I am thankful for the ways you have adapted to keep us all safe.

Please hang in there, hope is on the horizon.

Meanwhile, wear a mask, watch your distance, and wash your hands.

Keep the faith. We will get through this and we will have so much more to be thankful for next Thanksgiving.

This is Governor Janet Mills and thank you for listening.

Voting is at the foundation of our democracy and voting may determine the future of our communities, our state and our nation.

Hello, this is Governor Janet Mills.

Your vote is your voice. Make sure your voice is heard November 3rd.

I usually vote in person on Election Day cause I like to see people at the polls, but this year, I voted absentee in person in the town clerk’s office cause I wanted to minimize the number of people I came into contact with and minimize the number of people at the polls on November 3rd. Voting absentee, either in-person or by mail, during this pandemic minimizes your exposure to COVID-19 and protects the health of poll workers, other voters and the community at large.

We did a pretty good job in the primary in July minimizing the people at the polls and encouraging absentee voting, but the General Election attracts far more voters, and we are stepping up efforts to protect poll workers and preserving the right of everyone to vote.

Right now you can stop by your town office during business hours, pick up a ballot and complete it right there and hand it back to the clerk. You don’t need an excuse. Some clerks offices are open extra hours – evenings, weekends, even the Saturday before the election -- to accept ballots and avoid overcrowded polls on Election Day.

You can also request an absentee ballot by mail on the Secretary of State’s website at Maine.gov/sos. And you can either mail that ballot back or deliver it in person to the clerk’s office or to a drop box.

But don’t wait. Either way, your ballot has to be in the clerk’s hands by 8 pm November 3rd.

Now, if you have requested an absentee ballot, you have committed to vote that ballot. The clerk won’t give you a second ballot unless you have somehow spoiled the ballot and you return it, or the ballot you requested does not arrive.

You can also track when your ballot is sent out and when your clerk receives your completed ballot by visiting Maine.gov/sos and clicking on the “Request/Track your absentee ballot” image.

Get your ballot back to your municipal clerk as soon as possible, and no later than 8:00 p.m. on Election Day, November 3, 2020, in the signed, sealed envelope. Very important.

Remember, to SIGN the envelope before returning because that’s how the clerk knows it’s the same ballot they sent you to send back.

If you are returning your ballot in person, you can drop it off at your town office during regular business hours.

We also worked to provide secure drop boxes to many many towns to facilitate safe voting. If your municipality has a ballot dropbox, you’ll find it at the city or town hall. Drop off your completed ballot - sealed in your signed envelope - at any hour, and of course ONLY in your own town or city’s ballot dropbox. You have to sign the envelope so the clerk knows it was you who requested the ballot; but neither the clerk nor anyone else will see who you voted for.

If you are returning your ballot by mail, use first-class stamps and put it in the mail at least a week before Election Day to make sure it gets there on time.

If you are going out of state, get your ballot back before you leave; if you mail it from somewhere across the country you take a chance it won’t be counted.

Polling places will be open on Election Day, but plan for extra wait time if you go that day because of new health and safety procedures at the polls, you know social distancing and sanitization measures.

Please wear a face covering when you go to the polls to vote and avoid face coverings or other clothing or accessories that have a political message or the name of a candidate on them.

To learn more about elections, visit the Secretary of State’s website at Maine.gov/sos.

You know, there’s been some talk also about potential harassment or intimidation of voters in other states we’ve listened to. We don’t expect a problem with that here and we do have plenty of tools to address it if it does occur.

Just remember, you have a constitutional right to vote. No one can prevent you. It’s your civic right and your civic responsibility.

This is Governor Janet Mills, thank you for listening, don’t forget to vote, and please stay safe.

You know, back in the spring, I issued a Stay Healthy at Home Order that required Maine people to stay home as much as possible to mitigate the spread of the horrible virus, the COVID-19 virus.

Hello this is Janet Mills, governor of the great State of Maine.

That was an extremely difficult decision, one of many now. Nobody runs for office thinking sometime they’ll have to shut down their state and tell businesses to close their doors. Like all Maine people, I want our state to reopen as quickly as it is safe to do so.

That’s why a few months ago we initiated our Plan to Restart Maine’s Economy.

Today, Maine adjusted for population, ranks 2nd lowest in the nation in terms of positive COVID cases; 4th lowest in terms of deaths; lowest in terms of patients ever-hospitalized (out of the 36 states reporting); and we’re doing so well in so many metrics.

We have to balance public health with economic health every step of the way, although it has been kind of painful and difficult for many businesses.

Now as winter approaches, we have to continue this balancing act and ensure that some businesses that were allowed to operate outside in the summer months are able to continue operating as the weather gets colder.

So I announced this week that beginning Tuesday, October 13th, Maine will move into Stage 4 of the Plan to Restart Maine’s Economy.

Businesses and organizations that serve people through seated activities – such as indoor dining, religious gatherings, and movie theaters – will be allowed to operate at 50 percent of their capacity, up to a maximum of 100 people.

We consulted with the chambers of commerce, and the restaurant industry and the visitors bureaus. What we heard repeatedly is they’d like to operate at 50 percent capacity, so we’ve accommodated that, but put it at a maximum of 100 people.

We’ve also updated the checklists for these businesses and we’re posting them on the DECD website.

For non-seated indoor activities, like physical activities in gyms, the capacity limit remains at 50 and the outdoor gathering limit also remains at 100.

Stage 4 also establishes the reopening date for indoor services for bars, tasting rooms, and distilleries as Monday, November 2nd. They have to commit to abiding by the newly-posted checklist for seated food and drink service.

You know back in the summer I also issued an Executive Order that required Maine’s coastal counties and more populous cities – the businesses in those places — to enforce our statewide face covering mandate.

Now we have expanded that statewide so all of the businesses under that Executive Order are required to post a sign on their business and to require customers and employees to wear a mask when facing the public.

I also broadened the Order to make clear that places, such as private schools and local government buildings, also have to wear masks. Face coverings have been proven to significantly reduce the spread of COVID-19 and they may also reduce the spread of the flu now that we’re all out getting our flu shots. Think about that.

Businesses that violate the Executive Orders are subject to enforcement, including fines and potential loss of license. We’ve already had in one instance a $20,000 fine and more than two dozen imminent health hazard warnings to organizations that have not abided by these measures.

These measures are to protect you, your families, the customers, clients and people in those businesses and their employees — to protect everybody.

And mind you, just because a business may open doesn’t mean you have to go there or that you should go there. We’re trying to do that balancing act and keep people as safe as possible. If you have underlying conditions, don’t take risks. You know if you’re a vulnerable person, don’t take risks, stay safe.

We think that this expanded capacity though, along with the continued health and safety precautions, is a good step forward in balancing public health and economic health and fairly consistent with what other New England states are doing too.

We keep evaluating these things and while we are making these adjustments, don’t be lured into a false sense of security. We’re doing pretty well as a state compared to other states, but this virus is still very much among us.

Wearing a face covering, staying six feet apart, avoiding large gatherings, and washing our hands — all of that is key to keeping Maine open and keeping Maine safe and healthy.

We all worked together this spring, summer and fall to ensure that we could leave our homes safely and get back to something of what life used to be like, with many adjustments. This fall and winter let us adapt again to keep it that way.

Thank you and please stay safe.

Increased access to testing for COVID-19 is a critical part of our strategy to mitigate the spread of this deadly virus, to be able to return kids to school safely, and ensure that our economy gets back up and running.

And it is working.

Hello, this is Governor Janet Mills and thank you for listening.

Commissioner of Health and Human Services Jeanne Lambrew and I announced this week that anyone in Maine can now be tested for COVID-19 at participating sites without a separate order from a health care provider.

This expanded testing access is possible because we have ramped up operations at the State lab, we’ve partnered with Maine-based company IDEXX Laboratories Inc., and we’ve developed nearly 30 "swab and send" testing locations throughout the state.

As of September 21, Maine was conducting 400 tests per 100,000 people. It’s a state record. Maine ranks first in the nation on the percentage of people tested according to a target level developed by researchers at the Harvard Global Health Institute.

Previously, people with known exposure or elevated risk of exposure to the virus could get tested, with or without symptoms, under our  DHHS Standing Order.

But now, the Standing Order also includes anyone over the age of 12 months - anyone who feels they need a test or their parents feels they need a test - who is not otherwise at high risk, with or without symptoms.

Course, just because anyone can get tested doesn’t mean everyone should. Our testing resources must continue to be used wisely. Testing alone is not prevention, and a negative test does not necessarily mean it's safe to gather with others. The best way to prevent the spread of this COVID-19 is to practice the public health measures that have kept Maine’s infection rates relatively low to date, among the best in the nation.

For a list of all sites providing tests to people under the Standing Order and without requiring a provider referral, please visit the Keep Maine Healthy website — that’s Keep Maine Healthy.

Some organizations are offering testing to their patients at additional sites as well. For a complete frequently updated list of COVID-19 test sites in Maine, visit Get-Tested-COVID19.org.

You know it’s always best to call a testing site before going to schedule an appointment, which is typically required. And they have policies on minimum age, some of them, so you should check before seeking a test for anyone under 18. Children under the age of 12 months should see a health care provider before a COVID-19 test.

While this represents a significant milestone, testing alone will not defeat this virus. Maine people must remain vigilant to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

You’ve got to remember to wash your hands frequently, maintain six feet of distance, stay home whenever you can and wear a face covering when you’re out in public when it is hard to maintain six feet of distance between ourselves and others or just wear a face covering in general to be sure.

Please, do not attend or organize large gatherings, don’t have big parties indoors or outdoors. Just because you’re outdoors doesn’t mean it’s a great thing to have a party. Don’t take a chance, please.

We’ve all read in the newspapers where some have taken those chances and disastrous, tragic results have ensued.

If we protect ourselves and our communities and one another by taking the steps we’re talking about, we can keep restarting our economy and reopening schools in a safe way, and limiting the spread of this dangerous virus as we welcome autumn here in Maine.

This is Governor Janet Mills. Thank you for listening and please stay safe.