Another Mainer has died as health officials on Friday confirmed 37 more coronavirus cases have been detected in Maine.
There have now been 2,226 cases across all of Maine’s counties since the outbreak began here in March, according to the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention. That’s up from 2,189 on Thursday.
Of those, 1,971 have been confirmed positive, while 255 are likely positive, according to the Maine CDC.
The latest Mainer to die was a woman in her 80s from Cumberland County, bringing the statewide death toll to 85.
So far, 270 Mainers have been hospitalized at some point with COVID-19, the illness caused by the coronavirus. Of those, 53 people are currently hospitalized, with 18 in critical care and 12 on ventilators, according to the Maine CDC.
A new outbreak was reported on Friday at a Granite Bay Care facility in Saco, where three associated people have tested positive for the virus, according to Maine CDC Director Nirav Shah. Granite Bay provides residential care to people with disabilities in 75 homes statewide and a Brunswick facility had an outbreak earlier this month.
Meanwhile, 1,458 people have fully recovered from the virus, meaning there are 683 active and likely cases in the state, according to the Maine CDC. That’s down from 703 on Thursday.
Here’s the latest on the coronavirus and its impact on Maine.
—Maine lawmakers are pushing for more involvement in the state’s coronavirus response as top officials consider how to use federal money to backfill expenses while preparing for a projected budget shortfall of half a billion dollars.
—Gov. Janet Mills’ 14-day quarantine for people coming into Maine is unconstitutional because it discriminates against out-of-staters who want to use the state’s campgrounds, the U.S. Department of Justice said on Friday. The Democratic governor called it a political move that could harm Maine people.
—Read the Department of Justice’s full statement challenging Janet Mills’ restrictions.
—Maine businesses can deny entry or service to people not wearing face coverings, but that does not apply to people who have conditions exempting them from doing so and no proof is required, according to a new executive order released by Gov. Janet Mills on Friday.
—If you’re thinking of hitting the Appalachian Trail anytime soon, there are a few things you should consider first. As the longest hiking-only footpath in the world, the trail has potential to be a place where the coronavirus is spread to different communities and across state lines. To address this problem, the Appalachian Trail Conservancy recently released updated guidance for visitors.
—The seven state employees who work in an emergency operations center in Augusta and developed coronavirus-like symptoms tested negative for the virus, the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention said Friday. On Thursday, their symptoms prompted a temporary closure of the emergency operations center in north Augusta that has been hosting daily news briefings with Gov. Janet Mills, Maine CDC Director Nirav Shah and other top state officials.
—As what should have been the last few weeks of her high school career loomed, Bangor senior Aislyn Tkacs resigned herself to the fact that the COVID-19 pandemic had turned all her plans upside down. But her prom date, Owen Smiley, didn’t give up on having a dance with her.
—The Gorham-based manufacturer Flowfold has landed a state contract to produce 500,000 medical face shields. The company shifted from wallets and bags to face shields earlier this spring after seeing indicators that the medical supply chain could be in trouble.
—As of Friday evening, the coronavirus has sickened 1,743,235 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 102,686 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University of Medicine.
—Elsewhere in New England, there have been 6,718 coronavirus deaths in Massachusetts, 3,868 in Connecticut, 693 in Rhode Island, 232 in New Hampshire and 55 in Vermont.
