Maine Gov. Janet Mills (D), who during the COVID-19 pandemic implemented stringent prohibitions on public gatherings and stay-at-home directives, will be joining the U.S. Surgeon General for a discussion on the danger that “loneliness and isolation” pose to public health.

The panel discussion, entitled “Building Resilience Through Human Connection,” is scheduled for Friday, Sept. 27, at 11 a.m., and will be hosted by the University of Southern Maine in Portland.

Speaking on the panel, which is free and open to the public on a first-come, first-serve basis, will be Gov. Mills, U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy, and Maine DHHS Office of Behavioral Health Director Sarah Squirrell.

The discussion is set to focus on a Surgeon General Advisory issued by Dr. Murthy last year, which describes a growing “epidemic of loneliness and isolation” in the U.S. as a serious public crisis on par with smoking, obesity and substance use disorder.

Included in Dr. Murthy’s advisory is the recognition that government lockdowns during the COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated the issue of loneliness and social isolation among Americans.

“While social connection had been declining for decades prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, the onset of the pandemic, with its lockdowns and stay-at-home orders, was a critical time during which the issue of connection came to the forefront of public consciousness, raising awareness about this critical and ongoing public health concern,” the advisory states.

Such lockdowns and stay-at-home orders were issued by Gov. Mills in early 2020 as a response to the pandemic:

• March 15, 2020: Gov. Mills declared a Civil State of Emergency, recommending ending all in-classroom instruction for all Maine public schools, postponing all non-urgent medical procedures and appointments, restricting visitors to long-term care facilities, and postponing all events with 50 or more people.
• March 16, 2020: Gov. Mills called for the statewide cancellation of Saint Patrick’s events to prevent the gathering of large crowds and further encouraged social distancing measures.
• March 24, 2020: Gov. Mills ordered all non-essential businesses and operations in Maine to close their physical locations that are public facing, meaning those that allow customer, vendor or other in-person contact.
• March 31, 2020: Gov. Mills issued a Stay Healthy at Home directive that required people living in Maine to stay at home at all times unless for an essential job or an essential personal reason, such as obtaining food, medicine, health care, or other necessary purposes.
• April 3, 2020: Gov. Mills issued an Executive Order mandating a 14-day quarantine for travelers arriving in Maine, regardless of their state of residency.

A full timeline of the Mills administration’s pandemic actions can be read here.