File Photo / Maureen Milliken
Alain J. Nahimana, executive director of The Greater Portland Immigrant Welcome Center
March 31, 2020
Portland extends stay-at-home order, Immigrant Welcome Center demands fairness
Photo / Renee Cordes
Despite business closures throughout Portland, some are displaying signs of encouragement, like Port City Music Hall on Sunday.
The Portland City Council on Monday night voted to extend the city's stay-at-home order through April 27, continuing an emergency shutdown that started last week.
The order in Maine's biggest city applies to both residents and businesses, in an effort to lessen the community spread of COVID-19, according to a statement after the meeting.
Other measures approved Monday include a temporary ban on short-term rentals during the shutdown, with some exceptions, and a request of property owners to rescind or suspend evictions resulting from financial hardship during the pandemic.
But an amendment to add curbside delivery or pick-up for nonessential businesses was rejected by a vote of 7-2.
The public is encouraged to stay up to date on the latest information from the Maine Centers for Disease Control, and to look up resources on the city's dedicated online page. It includes materials in different languages.
Gov. Janet Mills also last week ordered all nonessential businesses to close their public-facing facilities and told essential ones they must limit contact through Wednesday, April 8.
As of 10:30 a.m. Tuesday, Maine had 303 confirmed cases of COVID-19, including 68 people who have recovered and 57 who remain hospitalized, according to the Maine CDC website. Five deaths have been reported to date.
Immigrant Welcome Center demands
Also on Monday, the Greater Portland Immigrant Welcome Center called on policymakers at federal, state and local levels to ensure that implementation of COVID-19 emergency response programs is equitable and inclusive, and pays special attention to the needs of vulnerable populations, including immigrants and their families.
"All people should have access to free COVID-19 testing and treatment," the center said in a policy brief signed by Executive Director Alain J. Nahimana, a 2018 Mainebiz Next list honoree.
"All should have access to cash and food assistance programs if they need them. And ALL should be protected by emergency measures aimed at preventing displacement, loss of vital services and other crises triggered by financial distress."
On the local front, the Immigrant Welcome Center is urging authorities to do the following:
- Ensure that information about local COVID-19 response measures and resources is widely disseminated in multiple languages, in collaboration with local nonprofits;
- Ensure that local COVID-19 relief programs, including assistance to families, school-based programs, and support for small businesses, are equitable and inclusive; and
- Recognize that many immigrant parents will face particular challenges during the COVID-19 crisis, including lack of child care for those who can’t stop working, and the need for additional support to successfully home-school their children.
The center also said it "invites all stakeholders to continue working together to ensure we overcome this crisis together as a community."
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