As of 11 a.m. Monday, March 16, eight Maine residents have been confirmed positive and nine others are presumed positive for the coronavirus, according to the state.
Here’s a roundup of today’s COVID-19 news in Maine and New England, as of 7 p.m. To read all of our coverage, click here.
— Bangor declared a state of emergency, and imposed a curfew on bars, restaurants and public gathering places for a five-day period.
— There are now eight confirmed cases of the new coronavirus in Maine, while another nine people are likely to have it, state health officials said Monday. Another 764 Maine residents have tested negative for the coronavirus, known as COVD-19.
— The latest cases include two women in their 60s and 80s and a man in his 70s in Cumberland County, a man in his 30s in Knox County, and another man in his 40s in Lincoln County.
— Of the 17 cases, 13 have been reported in Cumberland County, two in Lincoln County, one in Knox County and one in Androscoggin County.
— The first Maine child to test positive for the new coronavirus is a 12-year-old boy who attends Cape Elizabeth Middle School and likely contracted the virus outside of school.
— Northern Light Mercy Hospital in Portland has temporarily closed two of its off-site practices after a worker there was found to have the coronavirus, according to the hospital’s parent group.
— More than 100 people in the state have been quarantined or are in self-isolation due to the coronavirus.
— Have you been tested for the coronavirus? Share your story.
— Bangor schools are not in session for the next two weeks as a precautionary measure against the spread of coronavirus, but they might stay closed longer.
— Any Bangor student can get 2 free meals a day while school is closed.
— These downtown Bangor businesses are temporarily closing due to the virus outbreak.
— The company that owns Hollywood Casino, Hotel and Raceway in Bangor said Monday that the Bangor facility will suspend operations for a period of two weeks.
— The Bangor Area Homeless Shelter will close its overnight warming center for the season on Monday.
— Maine Gov. Janet Mills and legislative leaders reached a Monday deal on a spending proposal focused on raising wages for health care workers and increasing the state’s testing capacity.
— The union representing more than 12,000 Maine state employees called on the governor to end nonessential government services.
— Mills detailed the struggles of Maine’s small businesses to the federal government on Friday in a letter seeking access to low-cost federal loans for the state’s business owners.
— Portland declared a state of emergency and will mandate a curfew at bars, restaurants and other gathering sites beginning on St. Patrick’s Day.
— The Maine Public Utilities Commission said that it has directed all electric transmission and distribution utilities, natural gas utilities, water utilities and telephone providers of last resort service to halt any disconnection activity until further notice.
— Leaders of two of the largest unions at Bath Iron Works called on parent company General Dynamics to shut the shipyard for two weeks and send its 8,000 workers home with full pay.
— Internet use could jump 50 percent as more Mainers work from home amid the virus outbreak.
— For Maine’s hospitality industry, many are juggling an interest to boost consumer confidence while also safeguarding their workers and guests against the spread of the coronavirus.
— Until further notice, visitors and seasonal residents will no longer be permitted to travel to the island of North Haven in an attempt to protect the community.
— The Maine court system on Monday vacated all outstanding warrants for unpaid court fines and fees and for failure to appear for hearings.
— Bangor’s two hospitals are starting to delay some elective procedures and limit visits to patients.
— Effective today, Bangor’s public health department is asking clients to call rather than come into the office.
— L.L. Bean will close all U.S. retail locations starting at midnight through March 29.
— As more cancellations and closings come in, we’ll be gathering them here. Is there a closure that’s not on our list? Email bdnnews@bangordailynews.com and we’ll add it.
— If you purchased a bag of dried beans to stand-in for your usual canned counterparts, you may not know what to do with them. Consider this an opportunity to open yourself up to the wonderful world of dried beans.
— The White House is recommending that older people and those with underlying health conditions “ stay home and away from other people.”
— The U.S. surgeon general said Monday that the number of coronavirus cases in the United States has reached the level that Italy recorded two weeks ago.
— Idris Elba has been diagnosed with the coronavirus.
— The BDN has been compiling questions about the coronavirus submitted by our readers. You can find the answers to those questions here.
— The Maine CDC set up a coronavirus hotline. The hotline is available by calling 211 or 866-811-5695. It can also be reached by texting your zipcode to 898-211 or emailing info@211maine.org.
— Throughout the rest of New England, Massachusetts has 197 confirmed cases, Connecticut has 41, Rhode Island has 21, New Hampshire has 17 and Vermont has eight.
— Nationwide, there are 4,312 cases and 73 deaths from the coronavirus as of Monday evening, according to The New York Times.
This map shows the latest number of positive test results for the coronavirus, by state.
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