| The BDN is making the most crucial coverage of the coronavirus pandemic and its economic impact in Maine free for all readers. Click here for all coronavirus stories. You can join others committed to safeguarding this vital public service by purchasing a subscription or donating directly to the newsroom. Today is Friday. Another 30 cases of the new coronavirus were detected in Maine on Thursday, health officials said. [Our COVID-19 tracker contains the most recent information on Maine cases by county] No new deaths were reported Thursday, leaving the statewide death toll at 100. It was the second day in a row with no new deaths. Here’s a roundup of the latest news on the coronavirus and Maine. — The Maine CDC will provide an update on the coronavirus this afternoon. The BDN will livestream the briefing. — “Richard Stevenson has only vague, dreamlike memories of the 18 days he spent on a ventilator, tethered between life and death while fighting COVID-19 … Now, more than a month after he was taken off the ventilator, Stevenson is well on the road to recovery. He credits his survival to the antibody-rich blood plasma transfusions he received. He was the first person in the state of Maine to get this experimental therapy for the disease.” — Abigail Curtis, BDN — “With just over a month to go until the July 14 primary election, Maine voters have requested absentee ballots at a higher rate than they did for past primaries, but they still represent only a fraction of the total number of voters expected to participate in the state’s first election during the coronavirus pandemic.” — Jessica Piper, BDN — “Canada recently made changes that loosened restrictions for cross-border visits. But for some families living on Maine’s border, the changes don’t seem to amount to much.” — Alexander MacDougall, Houlton Pioneer Times — “Brewer High School athletic director David Utterback has submitted a proposal to the Maine Principals’ Association to help make it easier for athletes to compete during the fall season if students have returned to the classroom in some capacity. Utterback has suggested the MPA reverse the sports seasons to allow more time for the medical professionals to develop a medication or vaccine to combat the coronavirus. His plan calls for high-risk sports to be moved to later in the year to provide a safe environment for the athletes.” — Larry Mahoney, BDN —“A state agency on Thursday previewed a new app that it said should help attract out-of-state tourists and make them feel safe in the state. The app, which is available online but is still being improved, lets tourists pledge that they have met testing requirements and check regularly for coronavirus symptoms.” — Lori Valigra, BDN — “The state is apparently re-writing some of the guidelines to a new policy set by Gov. Janet Mills that allows out-of-state visitors to avoid a 14-day quarantine if they can show that they have tested negative for COVID-19 within 72 hours of their visit.” — Nick Sambides Jr., BDN —“Penobscot County voters will not be asked in November to approve funding for a new jail as officials consider whether operational changes imposed by the COVID-19 outbreak will become permanent. It could be November 2021 before the measure appears on the ballot.” — Judy Harrison, BDN — “States are rolling back lockdowns, but the coronavirus isn’t done with the U.S. Cases are rising in nearly half the states, according to an Associated Press analysis, a worrying trend that could intensify as people return to work and venture out during the summer.” — Mike Stobbe, The Associated Press — Watch: How to bike safely during a pandemic As of early Friday morning, the coronavirus has sickened 2,023,347 people in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands and the U.S. Virgin Islands, as well as caused 113,820 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University of Medicine. Elsewhere in New England, there have been 7,492 coronavirus deaths in Massachusetts, 4,146 in Connecticut, 823 in Rhode Island, 308 in New Hampshire and 55 in Vermont.
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