May 11 evening update: The latest on the coronavirus and Maine

May 11 evening update: The latest on the coronavirus and Maine

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Another Mainer has died as health officials confirmed 26 more cases of the new coronavirus have been detected in the state.

There have now been 1,462 confirmed and likely coronavirus cases across all of Maine’s counties, according to Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention Director Nirav Shah. That’s up from 1,436 on Sunday.

Of those, 1,328 have been confirmed positive, while 134 are likely positive, according to Shah.

A male in his 70s from Cumberland County died from the coronavirus, bringing the statewide death toll to 65.

[Our COVID-19 tracker contains the most recent information on Maine cases by county]

Here’s a roundup of the latest news about the coronavirus and its impact in Maine.

— Three group homes for people with intellectual disabilities have recorded coronavirus outbreaks. The outbreaks at group homes run by Spurwink, Residential and Community Support Services and Granite Bay Care Inc. account for at least 10 new cases of the coronavirus in Maine, according to the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention.

— A majority of Americans disapprove of protests against restrictions aimed at preventing the spread of the coronavirus, according to a new poll that also finds the still-expansive support for such limits — including restaurant closures and stay-at-home orders — has dipped in recent weeks.

— Maine’s summer sports season has taken another hit because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The American Legion National Organization has canceled its 2020 baseball season for teenage players across the country.

— The town of Wells reopened public beaches on Monday, but there are still restrictions in place. On Monday, all public beaches reopened, including Drake’s Island Beach, Crescent Beach, Wells Beach and Moody Beach. Mainers are only allowed to swim, fish, walk, work out and surf at the beaches. Visitors must maintain a 6-foot distance from others, and no large groups are allowed to congregate. A 14-day quarantine remains in effect for visitors from out of state, as well as for Mainers returning to the state.

— We’ve all had to adapt to changes prompted by the new coronavirus — wearing masks, quarantines, physical distancing — but how might these changes apply to summer camps?

— Legal experts anticipate a raft of lawsuits out of the coronavirus pandemic as businesses reopen and figure out a new normal, complete with detailed state-issued checklists of what and what not to do. The emerging fear among businesses is that personal injury lawyers could seize on the virus to capitalize for clients. They could include anything from claims by employees or customers that they caught the virus in a reopened business to what Karen Harned, executive director of the National Federation of Independent Business’ Small Business Legal Center, calls “bottom feeders” who measure distances between restaurant tables to see if they are the required 6 feet apart. ( Here are tips from Doug Currier, chair of Verrill Dana’s employment and labor group, to businesses on how to protect themselves from a potential coronavirus-related lawsuit after they reopen.)

— With the immediate future so uncertain and the lingering threat of an invisible illness, the coronavirus has caused anxiety to color a lot of everyday life. Especially if you’re a kid, suddenly forced to stay away from your friends with limited access to information or understanding. So what can parents do to help their children manage anxiety? Experts say it starts with knowing the signs.

— In a public health crisis, many restaurant owners are not seeking a path back to normalcy, but they are forging ways to evolve that may bring lasting change. They are wary of a spike of disease. They also fear that missing a vital summer season will destroy their livelihoods.

— The past two months have meant near-constant work for the staff of Maine’s state laboratory who are testing specimens for the coronavirus. But while the short term may be stressful for the lab’s staff, the coming months are likely to mark a turning point for the Maine Health and Environmental Testing Laboratory in Augusta, which has traditionally operated more behind the scenes in advancing understanding of public health threats. That’s because it’s getting new staff, new equipment, a new building and renewed recognition of its central role in responding to outbreaks, after three decades that saw staff cuts, attempts at privatization and a deteriorating building and equipment.

— Twitter announced Monday it will warn users when a tweet contains disputed or misleading information about the coronavirus. The new rule is the latest in a wave of stricter policies that tech companies are rolling out to confront an outbreak of virus-related misinformation on their sites.

— Opinion: “I hope Mills and Shah will agree to take the simple precaution of adding a restriction on county travel to the rural reopening plan to help achieve its intended purpose and not set us back on virus transmission,” writes Lamoine and Ellsworth resident Amy Morley in today’s opinion guest column.

— After a month or so in quarantine, sourdough bread is getting tired. Here are a few creative quarantine cooking projects to mix it up in your kitchen the next time you want something to do — and something delicious to eat.

— As of Monday evening, the coronavirus has sickened 1,345,307 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 80,239 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University of Medicine.