LEWISTON – It’s a reasonably quiet day in downtown Lewiston, but near the end of Pierce Street, off Birch, comes the sounds of laughter, shouting and horseplay. It’s the clamor of young people at play and in ordinary times, it’s a common sound, even a cherished one. 

But these are not ordinary times.  

With the concept of social distancing riding high in the minds of people everywhere, things like playground gatherings are suddenly taboo. Same for church services, sporting events, movie theaters and even beloved traditions like Friday night out with the girls. 

On social media, people are quick to call out others who don’t abide by the rules of social distancing. Get caught gathering in a group of six or more, and don’t be surprised to find yourself the subject of scorn on Facebook. 

It’s happened in recent days as children were spotted gathering on playgrounds, restaurants were said to be still offering dine-in services and students were rumored to be continuing to party in big groups.  

A lot of those accusations turn out to be unfounded, but it leaves a troubling question: at what point does the informal ban on gatherings need to become a formal one? And if it goes that way, exactly who is to bring down the enforcement? 

According to local police, it hasn’t come to that yet. When patrol officers spot a large gathering of people, it’s a matter of getting those people to understand the risks. 

“If we interact with a group,” Auburn police Chief Jason Moen said, “we educate them on the emergency order and ask them to move along. So far, everyone has been quite cooperative and understanding. People have been pretty resilient so far.”

It’s the same at the county level. So far, people haven’t been calling police to report their neighbors gathering in large, suspicious groups.

“Androscoggin County residents and businesses are playing nicely,” Sheriff Eric Samson said.

According to medical experts, social distancing generally follows a few simple rules:

• Maintain 6 feet between yourself and others when outside the home.

• When possible, avoid going to public places that involve frequent human interactions. This includes restaurants, bars, cafes, airports, theaters and public transport.

• While outside, trying to minimize touching anything that doesn’t need to be touched.

For most, it’s an inconvenience, but not a life-changing one. Social distancing means eating, working and entertaining at home instead of going out as they normally would. But there are those for whom complete isolation is not an option. Not even close.

At area shelters, homeless men and women have nowhere else to go. That means living in relatively close quarters with one another while the rest of the world preaches distance.

“That’s the hard part,” said Jimi Cutting, house attendant at St. Martin de Porres in Lewiston. “We are operating as normal, meaning they go out during the day and staff goes home at the end of their shift. It’s hard to figure out if what we are doing is right or wrong as we want to help.”

St. Martin has six residents living at the Bartlett Street shelter. Like other shelters across the shelter, they’re not taking in any more for the time being.

“I honestly cannot say when we will start again, as right now no one is testing to prove negative,” Cutting said, “They are only testing those who meet the CDC criteria to be tested.”

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