Maine Legislative Republicans missed two important points when they stated they would “not support an open-ended session that fails to focus on amending the governor’s emergency powers.”

First, states doing the best at keeping citizens safe and economies healthy (Maine is among the leaders) are the ones that are guided by their public health departments rather than by partisan politics. Second, the best way to prevent community transmission and business and gathering restrictions required to limit it is to mask, distance, clean, and ventilate.

Mainers reported 60% or less regularly masking in public. By voluntarily boosting that to 90%, rather than defiantly waiting to be mandated to mask and distance, we would cut transmission, return faster to school and work, and incur less health care and unemployment cost.

Republicans miss this. Jan Collins gets it and would continue to support Maine’s health and economic leadership as a Maine senator.

Mark Rains, Vienna