April 29 evening update: The latest on the coronavirus and Maine

April 29 evening update: The latest on the coronavirus and Maine

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There have now been 1,056 confirmed coronavirus cases across all of Maine’s counties, according to Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention Director Nirav Shah. That’s up from 1,040 on Tuesday.

The statewide death toll stands at 52. The latest death, announced on Wednesday, involved a female in her 70s from Cumberland County.

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

So far, 166 Mainers have been hospitalized at some point with COVID-19, the illness caused by the coronavirus. Of those, 32 people are currently hospitalized, with 17 in critical care and seven on ventilators, according to Shah.

Meanwhile, another 615 people have fully recovered from the coronavirus, meaning there are 389 active cases in the state. That’s down from 404 on Tuesday.

Here’s the latest on the coronavirus and its impact on Maine.

—Maine businesses allowed to reopen on Friday will be able to receive badges from the state saying they will adhere to health standards aimed at slowing the coronavirus, but regulators will not initially verify that the practices are being followed. Businesses including barber shops, salons and car dealerships can reopen on Friday as part of Gov. Janet Mills’ plan to gradually reopen Maine’s economy.

—Frustrated businesses in the tourism sector pressed Maine’s top economic development official Wednesday on how they will be able to restart under a reopening plan rolled out by Gov. Janet Mills on Tuesday that includes quarantines for out-of-state tourists and runs through the late summer.

—There is now an outbreak of COVID-19 among people who visited the Hope House Health and Living Center in Bangor. Twenty-one homeless shelter residents and staff have tested positive for the virus, the shelter said on Wednesday.

— Eight cases of the new coronavirus have been detected at the Tyson Foods plant in Portland, marking the first instance of an outbreak in Maine at a food processing facility.

— This year’s TD Beach to Beacon 10K road race in Cape Elizabeth has been canceled due to concerns about the possible spread of the coronavirus, race organizers said Wednesday. The $55 race entry fees for the August event will be automatically refunded to all registered runners in the coming weeks, and all 2020 race registrants will have an opportunity for early entry into the 2021 race.

—Roman Catholics will stay in their vehicles when they start celebrating mass in church parking lots this week as part of new coronavirus guidelines announced Wednesday.

— Maine’s most popular state parks are going to remain closed until at least June 1 under a new executive order from Gov. Janet Mills that aims to reopen the state’s economy while still guarding against the spread of COVID-19. The parks, mostly located along the state’s central and southern coasts, are tourist hot spots and grant access to some of the largest beaches in northern New England.

—A federal judge has ruled in favor of a Maine tribe and several others by blocking the U.S. Department of the Treasury from distributing federal coronavirus relief funds to a set of for-profit corporations created by tribes in Alaska. However, it’s not clear when the Houlton Band of Maliseet Indians and other federally recognized tribes will receive a portion of the $8 billion set aside for tribal governments in the $2.2 trillion CARES Act. The Maine tribe filed a suit with dozens of other tribes in the U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C., in mid-April asking the court to determine whether Alaska Native corporations are eligible for the money.

— A 77-year-old seasonal resident of Edgecomb who was an officer with the town’s volunteer fire department died of complications from COVID-19, the illness caused by the coronavirus, on April 19. Family and fellow firefighters remember him for his knowledge and spirit of volunteerism.

—The upcoming months will be missing many of the traditional events for which Maine’s summers are known. Here’s a list of the Maine parades, festivals and concerts that have been scrapped for 2020.

—Many business owners and municipal leaders have been eagerly waiting for Gov. Janet Mills to provide a path forward after weeks of restrictions in response to the coronavirus pandemic. Her announcement Tuesday that she will issue a new stay-at-home order that allows a gradual reopening of certain businesses is a relief for some, but not all.

—The spread of the new coronavirus forced colleges across the country to close their campuses this spring. Now, many are looking at whether to open back up this fall or consider alternative strategies, and their choices could have a major financial impact. This should be the time of year when colleges and universities in Maine are preparing for graduation ceremonies. But the focus for many is now on September.

—Recruiting is a monumental challenge in college sports, one that ultimately dictates how successful a school’s program is going to be. The COVID-19 pandemic has made it even more challenging for Maine’s small-college coaches, who are doing what they can to land the recruits they are pursuing.

—Most unemployed Mainers don’t receive benefits. The coronavirus highlighted their plight.

— A new program in Dover-Foxcroft — Community Pulling Together — shops and delivers groceries for locals who are self-isolating at home or otherwise concerned about their medical well-being.

—What are your questions about the plan to reopen Maine’s economy? Ask us here .

— As of early Wednesday morning, the coronavirus has sickened 1,036,652 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 58,365 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University of Medicine.

— Elsewhere in New England, there have been 3,405 coronavirus deaths in Massachusetts, 2,168 in Connecticut, 251 in Rhode Island, 60 in New Hampshire and 47 in Vermont.

Watch: Maine CDC coronavirus press conference, April 29