As a nurse and member of a federal disaster relief team for over a decade, I learned first-hand how slowly the wheels of government turn, even in a crisis.

This is not a critique of any particular administration or political party. It’s simply an acknowledgement of the fact that the larger an institution, the more potential there is for a delay in reacting to a crisis. It takes time for information to make its way up the chain of command, be digested, have a response formulated, and then plan implemented.

We saw the evidence of that this past week, as Gov. Janet Mills pulled the rug out from under small businesses in three Maine counties.

According to the U.S. Small Business Administration, as of 2018, Maine’s 145,536 small businesses made up 99.3% of our state’s businesses. Maine is full of intelligent, hard working and innovative business owners who are capable of re-opening their businesses in a safe and thoughtful way. These small businesses are far better able to pivot in response to a changing landscape, than is the state government.

On May 27, Gov. Mills announced that Androscoggin, York, and Cumberland counties would have to delay their indoor dining opening from June 1 to a future date, yet to be determined. This decision was said to be based on continued outbreaks in those counties, yet any outbreaks seem to be tied to long-term care facilities. That information is difficult to confirm, as the Maine CDC still refuses to release data by zip code, as is recommended by the federal government to improve local response.

I digress, but it certainly would be interesting to have the COVID data by zip code. If, for example, the majority of Maine’s 264 cases were found to be localized to Lewiston and Auburn, with very few or none in Mechanic Falls, Minot and Poland, then why not open businesses, and also allow indoor dining, in those towns?

Impossible to know, however, as access to that data has been denied.

The fact remains that, for weeks, the restaurants in Androscoggin County have been making plans to safely re-open, hoping to mitigate the severe financial damage they have suffered from the current crisis. They have ordered food, organized staff, replaced menus, rearranged tables, sourced PPE, changed out refillable condiments for disposable, and more. They have pivoted as requested, yet are hit once again with a delay that will likely shutter many businesses’ doors — the proverbial straw that broke the camel’s back.

Maine’s small business owners and restauranteurs were smart enough to start successful businesses and are smart enough to follow basic guidelines to keep their workers and customers safe, without being micromanaged by a state government that doesn’t seem to understand the nuance of each business. Businesses have high stakes, after all, with ownership knowing that if an outbreak were traced back to their business, it would have a very negative impact.

No matter where people fall on the “open/don’t open” opinion spectrum, I should hope everyone can agree that businesses deserve the opportunity to plan ahead and not have the rug pulled out from under them at the eleventh hour.

With the latest edict, Gov. Mills has done local businesses and, thus, this state, a grave disservice.

Laurel Libby is a resident of Auburn.