Another 54 cases of the new coronavirus have been detected in Maine, health officials said Friday.
There have now been 2,721 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 2,667 on Thursday.
Of those, 2,420 have been confirmed positive, while 301 are likely positive, according to the Maine CDC.
No new deaths were reported Friday, leaving the statewide death toll at 100. It was the third day in a row with no new deaths.
So far, 308 Mainers have been hospitalized at some point with COVID-19, the illness caused by the coronavirus. Of those, 32 people are currently hospitalized, with 11 in critical care and five on ventilators.
Meanwhile, 2,105 people have fully recovered from the virus, meaning there are 516 active and likely cases in the state, according to the Maine CDC. That’s up from 505 on Thursday.
Here’s the latest on the coronavirus and Maine.
—“A section of Broad Street in downtown Bangor will close to vehicle traffic for the rest of the summer starting Friday afternoon to facilitate outdoor, socially distanced dining and other activities downtown as businesses start to reopen from the coronavirus shutdown.” — Emily Burnham, BDN
—“Maine will allow hotels and other lodging establishments to serve out-of-state visitors who have met the 14-day quarantine period or the new testing alternative on June 26, a slight acceleration aimed at helping the industry serve tourists ahead of the July 4 weekend.
Lodging establishments were previously required to wait until July 1 to serve residents from other states under stage three of Gov. Janet Mills’ reopening plan.” — Jessica Piper, BDN
—“A 785-foot cruise ship with a crew but no passengers is expected to arrive Sunday in Eastport for “an extended period” as the idled ship requires docking space while its industry is shut down. The ship Riviera will tie up to the city’s breakwater pier, with restrictions against the crew from getting off the ship, while the cruise industry is shut down during the COVID-19 pandemic.” — Bill Trotter, BDN
—“Several tourism-related groups asked Gov. Janet Mills on Friday to allocate $800 million in federal funding for small businesses to keep their doors open and pay basic operating costs including rent, mortgage and payroll. The Maine Tourism Association, HospitalityMaine and the Retail Association of Maine rolled out a multi-phase relief plan that would allot federal Emergency Action Grants to small businesses hard hit by coronavirus restrictions.” — Lori Valigra, BDN
—“Maine is advising schools districts across the state to prepare for in-person, remote and blended learning models for the fall, with protocols in place to respond to potential coronavirus cases if they arise, according to a draft plan released by the Maine Department of Education.” — Jessica Piper, BDN
—“If you still have questions about the testing and quarantine mandates for out-of-state visitors, you’re not alone. Heather Johnson, commissioner of the Maine Department of Economic and Community Development, offered these answers to businesses on her weekly virtual update call on Thursday.” — Lori Valigra, BDN
—“The state is posting two spreadsheets on the Bureau of the Budget website that list all of the federal money coming into Maine as the result of several federal actions, including the CARES Act. It is also posting a spreadsheet that shows how the money that flows through state government is being allocated. Finance Commissioner Kirsten Figueroa said the state is trying to be as transparent as possible.” — Mal Leary, Maine Public
As of Friday evening, the coronavirus has sickened 2,042,139 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 114,446 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University of Medicine.
Elsewhere in New England, there have been 7,538 coronavirus deaths in Massachusetts, 4,159 in Connecticut, 833 in Rhode Island, 308 in New Hampshire and 55 in Vermont.
