BANGOR DAILY NEWS • April 22, 2020
As business owners in Maine’s summer tourist industry prepare to open — many filled with dread that an ongoing coronavirus pandemic will keep visitors away — some are concerned they won’t have enough employees to operate this season. Many hotels, restaurants and farmstand operations rely on visa programs that allow them to hire workers from other countries to fill positions that otherwise would remain vacant. But an array of bureaucratic obstacles brought on by the worldwide spread of the coronavirus — from visa processing to travel restrictions — is on track to significantly reduce the number of foreign employees they hire.