March 24 morning update: The latest on the coronavirus and Maine

March 24 morning update: The latest on the coronavirus and Maine

As of Monday morning, 107 Maine residents have caught the new coronavirus, according to the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention. Only a week earlier, Maine had fewer than 20 confirmed cases, and health officials expect it to continue to spread.

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

— Also on Monday, the Maine CDC said that 12 Maine residents have been hospitalized due to COVID-19, the illness caused by the coronavirus. That’s up from eight the day before and five late last week.

— The virus has now been detected in nine counties, but Maine CDC Director Nirav Shah asked Maine residents to live as though “COVID-19 is already in your community,” noting that the depth and breadth of the outbreak is not yet known.

— A worker at Bath Iron Works has tested positive for the coronavirus. The shipyard said the worker was last at the facility on March 13. That news comes days after a group of 17 Maine Democrats called for the Trump administration to extend shipbuilding deadlines for BIW, saying it is no longer safe for the shipyard to maintain normal operations during the coronavirus outbreak.

— Crafty Mainers all around the state are sewing face masks to help alleviate the national shortage in personal protective gear that is facing medical workers and others who must be out in public. Of course, homemade masks are no replacement for medical-grade equipment. But these Mainers are operating on the assumption that if frontline medical workers and first responders have no masks, a homemade mask is better than nothing.

— The town of York is closing its beaches after the town manager said the weekend saw an “unacceptable” influx of out-of-state day trippers. That’s the latest move being considered by local authorities to halt the spread of the coronavirus.

— Just a few of Maine’s confirmed cases of the coronavirus have so far come from Penobscot County, but that hasn’t stopped Bangor from adopting the strictest measures of any community in the state to prevent the spread of the infection. Over the past week, the Queen City has gone from limiting the hours when bars, restaurants and gathering places could open to mandating the closure of certain types of businesses such as casinos, theaters and yoga studios.

— Still, as new cases continue to climb Democratic Gov. Janet Mills has refrained from ordering Maine residents to shelter in place, a move taken by governors in other states, such as California, and leaders in nations, such as Italy and China. Shah told reporters on Monday that the state has considered such an order. But unlike other states, Maine is less densely populated, making such a move less urgent and meaning the state can continue to rely on recommendations and voluntary compliance.

— It’s too early to tell if the shutdown of many public establishments and the end of large gatherings will lower Maine’s crime rate in the long run. But in the short term, criminal activity appears to be down in parts of the state less than a week after Mills restricted public gatherings and restaurant and bar operations to curb the spread of the coronavirus.

— Negotiations on a nearly $2 trillion economic rescue package bogged down in Congress on Monday, leading to an angry floor speech from Sen. Susan Collins of Maine. Collins said negotiations between Republicans and Democrats on her small-business portion of the package had happened in “good faith” and that negotiations could have also continued if Democrats allowed the package to advance on Sunday. “We don’t have another day. We don’t have another hour,” she said. “We don’t have another minute to delay acting.”

— Massachusetts on Monday ramped up its efforts to halt the spread of the coronavirus, with Republican Gov. Charlie Baker ordering all non-essential businesses to close and the state health department issuing a stay-at-home advisory. Baker stressed that wasn’t a shelter-in-place order, meaning the state is relying on voluntary compliance and for Bay Staters “to use their common sense.” Last week, Baker said he was reluctant to issue a shelter-in-place order for the state.

— As of Monday, the virus had sickened 33,404 people in all 50 states, as well as the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, Guam and the U.S. Virgin Islands, and caused 400 deaths, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

— Among those who have caught the coronavirus in recent days is disgraced movie mogul Harvey Weinstein. Weinstein, who is incarcerated at a prison outside Buffalo, New York, contracted it just days after he started his 23-year prison sentence.

March 23 morning update: The latest on the coronavirus and Maine

As of 11:30 a.m. Monday, there are 107 confirmed cases of the new coronavirus in nine counties, according to the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention.

That includes 12 Maine residents who have been hospitalized with the coronavirus, which causes an illness known as COVID-19. Another three have recovered.

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

— The VA Maine Health Care System said Sunday that two veterans and an employee within the system have tested positive for the coronavirus and have been isolated.

— For health care professionals, much-needed protection equipment is on the way. Dr. Nirav Shah, the director of the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention, said Sunday that his agency plans to distribute 22,000 items of personal protection equipment — including facemasks, face shields and gloves — throughout Maine. He said the Maine CDC still expects to get more equipment from the federal government, but that even more is needed in Maine to help health care providers handle the growing outbreak. That comes as many states — including hard-hit New Jersey — have been asking the federal government to ramp up the level of supplies it is sending to them.

— Tourist season along Maine’s coast typically doesn’t start until May, but the Town Council in Bar Harbor — which is almost entirely dependent on tourism — is taking a highly unusual step in asking tourists to stay away because of the coronavirus.

— The city of Bangor on Sunday evening increased the limits placed on businesses like restaurants and will only allow businesses that provide “necessary goods and services” to continue to operate during the coronavirus outbreak. That expands on a previous order and goes into effect at 6 p.m. Monday.

— It’s been nearly a week since much of the state shut down to halt the spread of the coronavirus. The speed with which the U.S. economy has ground to a halt has astonished economists who told the Associated Press that they have never seen it go “from healthy to disaster so quickly.” Goldman Sachs expects economic growth to contract at a 24 percent annual rate from April to June. This week, the federal government will release unemployment statistics, which economists believe will show 3 million applied for it last week, a record. By some estimates, the coming months could see 7 million lost jobs and unemployment rise from 3.5 percent to at least 8.8 percent.

— The Trump administration has announced a 90-day extension for filing and paying federal tax bills. This Q&A breaks down what the order does and its impact on the economy.

— Congressional leaders and the White House continue to negotiate a trillion-dollar-plus package to provide relief for Americans during the coronavirus outbreak. That includes one-time direct checks to every American, totaling $1,200 per individual, $2,400 for couples and $3,000 for a family of four. It also would expand unemployment insurance and provide additional money for public health officials working to halt the virus’ spread. Negotiations are expected to continue Monday.

— More than half the counties in America have no intensive care beds, posing a particular danger for more than 7 million people who are age 60 and up — older patients who face the highest risk of serious illness or death from the rapid spread of the coronavirus, a Kaiser Health News data analysis shows. That includes Piscataquis and Washington counties in Maine.

— As of Friday, the virus had sickened 15,219 people in all 50 states, as well as the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, Guam and the U.S. Virgin Islands, and caused 201 deaths, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

— Among those who have recently tested positive for the coronavirus include Republican U.S. Sen. Rand Paul. Paul said Sunday he is asymptomatic and in quarantine.

— In Massachusetts, three new deaths from the coronavirus were reported on Sunday, bringing the statewide toll to five. The state confirmed its first death from the virus on Friday.