AUGUSTA — Governor Janet Mills extended Tuesday the State of Civil Emergency through February 17.

The Governor’s decision to extend the emergency is in line, according to a news release, with nearly every other state in the nation which have ongoing emergency declarations, according to the National Governors Association. 

“Our Administration is working around the clock to take the limited and inconsistent supply of vaccine we receive from the Federal government and turn it around quickly and efficiently to make sure it gets into the arms of as many Maine people as possible. But as we do this, the pandemic rages on all around us,” said Governor Mills. “I urge all Maine people to take the steps we know that keep everybody safe — wear your mask, wash your hands, watch your distance and avoid gatherings, whether you’ve been vaccinated or not. These things will keep us all safe during the pandemic and give us a better shot of getting back to normal sooner.”

A State of Civil Emergency allows Maine to deploy all available tools to respond to and contain COVID-19, the release noted.

This is Governor Mills’ 11th extension of the State of Civil Emergency. Under Maine law, Proclamations of Civil Emergencies may be issued in 30 day increments.

Since December 19, Maine has recorded 15,523 new cases of COVID-19, which represents 45 percent of all COVID-19 cases in the state since the beginning of the pandemic.

Since that date, 298 Maine people have been hospitalized with COVID-19 and 227 have lost their lives to COVID-19, representing 23 percent of all COVID-related hospitalizations and 44 percent of all COVID-related deaths in Maine since the beginning of the pandemic.