April 1 evening update: The latest on the coronavirus and Maine

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Here is a roundup of today’s COVID-19 related news in Maine and New England, as of 6:30 p.m. Read all of our coronavirus coverage here.

— Another 41 cases of the new coronavirus have been confirmed in Maine, bringing the total positive cases to 344.

— A total of seven people have died from the coronavirus in Maine.

— Thirteen counties have confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus. Cumberland County has been hit the hardest with 192 cases, while York County has 65.

— Sixty-three individuals were hospitalized in Maine with COVID-19, while 80 have recovered.

— Here’s what else we know about the Mainers who have tested positive for COVID-19 so far.

— We’re tracking the number of coronavirus cases in the state. Check out the latest here.

— When Maine’s recent stay at home order goes into effect on Thursday, there are many things you cannot do, such as have friends over, but there are some “essential activities” you can continue to do. Namely, outdoor activities including fishing and hiking are allowed.

— Gov. Janet Mills asked President Donald Trump to issue a disaster declaration covering all of Maine’s 16 counties, saying recovering from the effects of the new coronavirus is “beyond the capabilities” of state government to handle alone. Read her full letter here.

— A Maine Department of Health and Human Services office in Lewiston is closing again after a second employee tested positive for the novel coronavirus on Wednesday.

— Maine has outpaced most other states in testing people for the new coronavirus, but the state is still seeing a sharp increase in hospitalizations as it remains a week or more behind harder-hit states in fighting the spread of the virus.

— Maine health care providers will get a total of 15 Scarborough-made machines that can return test results for the coronavirus in as fast as 5 minutes with a capacity to test 2,400 people. The Maine-made coronavirus test gives fast results, but it has limitations.

— And in Orono, a Maine scientist said lobster blood could help treat the coronavirus.

— An estimated 61,000 Maine jobs could be lost by the summer as the new coronavirus drags the country into a recession, according to a new analysis.

— Here’s how to save money if you’re struggling during the coronavirus pandemic.

— The COVID-19 pandemic has taken the routine out of doing errands.

— Spectrum technicians setting up and fixing people’s internet, cable and phone connections are still going into people’s homes for routine matters, even as the COVID-19 pandemic intensifies, said one Spectrum worker in Maine.

— After a woman broke quarantine and a second guest at a homeless shelter tested positive for the coronavirus, the city opened the Portland Expo to members of its homeless population who must quarantine because of potential exposure to the virus.

— Officials announced Wednesday that Portland would temporarily close its city shelter to new individuals after two people tested positive for the coronavirus, while allowing more than 600 people on a waiting list at city shelters to remain eligible for city services.

— The Biddeford City Council approved a slew of measures to provide financial relief for residents amid the coronavirus pandemic.

— Hospitals are threatening to fire health care workers who publicize their working conditions during the coronavirus pandemic — and have in some cases followed through.

— A stage-4 ovarian cancer patient whose doctors have told her she probably has a year to live, Donna Wiegle should probably be staying at home during the pandemic. But as the director of the sole medical facility on tiny Swan’s Island, the medical technologist is still seeing patients.

— A patient has tested positive for the coronavirus at Northern Light Blue Hill Memorial Hospital.

— This is how Portland’s restaurants are trying to adapt to empty dining rooms.

— Chicken with salmonella can make you sick. So can romaine lettuce with E. coli and buffets with lurking norovirus. So why aren’t health officials warning people about eating food contaminated with the new coronavirus?

— The coronavirus isn’t the first disease to affect Maine in a serious way. These are the other pandemics that have hit Maine over the centuries.

— Hands chapped from all that washing? Here’s how to make homemade lotion.

— Here’s what you need to know about wearing a mask in public during the virus outbreak.

— The number of residents of a Massachusetts veterans home who have recently died is now 13, and six of those tested positive for the coronavirus.

— What questions are on your mind about COVID-19? We’ll do our best to answer.

— The Maine CDC set up a coronavirus hotline. The hotline is available by calling 211 or 866-811-5695. It can also be reached by texting your zip code to 207-898-211 or emailing info@211maine.org.

— Throughout the rest of New England, Massachusetts has 7,738 confirmed cases and 122 deaths, Connecticut has 3,557 cases and 85 deaths, Rhode Island has 566 cases and 10 deaths, Vermont has 321 confirmed cases and 16 deaths, and New Hampshire has 367 cases and three deaths.

— Nationwide, there are 213,372 cases and 4,757 deaths from the coronavirus, according to Johns Hopkins University.