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Maine Removes Coronavirus Travel Restrictions For Massachusetts

AUGUSTA, Maine (CBS) – Maine Gov. Janet Mills announced on Wednesday that Massachusetts residents are no longer required to test negative for coronavirus or quarantine when they travel to the state.

Maine health officials said Massachusetts now resembles other exempt states like Connecticut, New York and New Jersey in terms of COVID-19 prevalence and positivity rate.

Though people from Massachusetts and other exempt states are not required to test negative or quarantine, Maine health officials say it "remains a recommended practice."

"Protecting the health and safety of Maine people has always been our first and foremost goal," said Mills. "We congratulate our friends to the south on their progress in mitigating the spread of the virus and ask them to continue to take all the appropriate precautions, as we know they will, to protect their health and safety and that of Maine people."

Maine Department of Economic and Community Development Commissioner Heather Johnson said the decision has an economic impact on the state.

"Massachusetts visitors play a key role in our tourism economy," said Johnson. "We are hopeful for a strong fall tourism season as well as a robust ski season, and we are looking forward to Massachusetts residents being able to safely visit Maine."

In July, Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker said he had spoken to Mills about the restrictions, which he did not believe were necessary.

"I basically said, I'll put my data in Massachusetts up against your data any day," Baker recalled telling Mills. "We had a very collegial conversation."

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