Click here for the latest coronavirus news, which the BDN has made free for the public. You can support our critical reporting on the coronavirus by purchasing a digital subscription or donating directly to the newsroom. Today is Sunday. There have now been 2,282 cases across all of Maine’s counties since the outbreak began here in March, according to the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention. [Our COVID-19 tracker contains the most recent information on Maine cases by county] The statewide death toll now stands at 89. Here’s the latest on the coronavirus and its impact on Maine. — “Across Maine, business owners in the hospitality industry — which include owners of restaurants, motels, lodges, amusement parks, white water rafting companies and others — are wrestling with unprecedented uncertainty as the time left to save the summer tourist season, and with it the livelihoods of thousands of Mainers, grows smaller by the day.” — Josh Keefe, BDN — “Compost producers have sold unprecedented amounts of compost to consumers and garden centers since the pandemic began, as stay-at-home orders have prompted more people to plant gardens. Suppliers, in turn, are nearly out of the product, putting Maine organic farmers, who need the material to meet certification standards, in a tight spot.” — Nick Schroeder, BDN —“After delaying the opening of dine-in service at restaurants in Androscoggin, Cumberland and York counties earlier this week, Gov. Janet Mills is telling eateries they can sell their excess food to prisons to mitigate their lost revenue. Mills said Saturday that Maine Department of Corrections commissioner Randall Liberty has agreed to purchase excess food from restaurants in those three counties.” — Emily Burnham, BDN — “Subtle differences have emerged between Maine Democrats on coronavirus-related business restrictions, with lawmakers representing outlying areas in counties hit hardest by the virus breaking with Gov. Janet Mills and asking for greater transparency around her decisions.” — Jessica Piper, BDN —”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.” — Lori Valigra, BDN — Opinion: “We have to find a way to suppress terrible rules and laws as well as clamp down on the spread of the coronavirus in places where it is still killing Americans in large numbers, such as in our nursing homes.” — Jarrett Stepman, The Heritage Foundation — 4 ways to make your own face mask: “Here are a few videos that I have found helpful in my own sewing journey the past few weeks — as well as a few to help you along if you really aren’t feeling that straight stitch.” — Sam Schipani, BDN — Am I required to wear a mask while grocery shopping, and other answers to your questions — Watch: Janet Mills announces changes to June 1 reopening phase. “Gov. Janet Mills delayed the reopening of restaurants in Cumberland, York and Androscoggin counties beyond June 1, saying she would revisit the openings later.” — Natalie Williams, BDN —As of Sunday morning, the coronavirus has sickened 1,770,384 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 103,781 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University of Medicine. —Elsewhere in New England, there have been 6,768 coronavirus deaths in Massachusetts, 3,912 in Connecticut, 711 in Rhode Island, 242 in New Hampshire and 55 in Vermont.
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