As of 11 a.m. Tuesday, March 17, 23 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: 15 p.m. To read all of our coverage, click here.
— The Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention on Tuesday said there are now 32 confirmed and likely cases of the new coronavirus.
— Another 1,303 Maine residents have tested negative for the virus, up from 764 on Monday.
— The new cases include a woman in her 50s, a woman in her 60s, a woman in her 40s, a woman in her 30s and a man in his 20s from Cumberland County; a woman in her 30s from Kennebec County, the first recorded there; a woman in her 50s in Oxford County, the first recorded there; a man in his 50s from York County, the first recorded there; and two women in their 50s, two women in their 60s, a man in his 40s and a man in his 60s, for whom CDC Director Nirav Shah did not immediately have counties for. University of Maine System Chancellor Dannel Malloy said Tuesday a part-time University of Maine faculty member tested positive for the coronavirus.
— A child under age 10 from Androscoggin County also tested positive for the coronavirus. The child did not attend day care.
— Have you been tested for the coronavirus? Share your story.
— Shah called on the federal government to release medical equipment, citing the scarcity of important tools in Maine. Shah said the state had made requests to the federal government for additional protective equipment early on, and that the agency hoped to be receiving that shipment soon.
— Maine Gov. Janet Mills and legislative leaders were set to release a sweeping response to the new coronavirus, allowing municipalities and schools to operate on current budgets through January while setting aside $11 million to fight the virus.
— Mills signed an order prohibiting sale of certain items at “unconscionable prices” during the coronavirus outbreak.
— If you run out of toilet paper, here’s what you can use instead. Yes, really.
— Many venues across the state decided to close completely until coronavirus fears simmer down. It’s a hard blow to musicians who usually make a fair amount of scratch while spreading joy throughout the day. That’s why many of them are taking their St. Patrick’s Day shows online.
— Here are the Bangor restaurants and stores offering pickup and delivery.
— Maine stands to lose about 50 of its scheduled cruise ship visits this year, the result of a Canadian ban on cruise ship visits in that country until July 1.
— The Maine court system has increased the number of days that a newly arrested person can go before a judge, in an effort to free unconvicted people from jail faster during the coronavirus outbreak.
— Maine Family Planning, a nonprofit that serves about 23,000 Mainers, is extending birth control prescriptions for patients by three months, even if their prescription is set to expire.
— Former Google executive Ross LaJeunesse who is running for the Democratic nomination in the U.S. Senate race in Maine is isolating himself after “indirect contact” with someone who later tested positive for the new coronavirus.
— The 54th Annual Kenduskeag Stream Canoe Race, scheduled for April 18, has been canceled.
— The Maine Maple Producers Association announced on Monday that all events should be postponed for Maine Maple Sunday Weekend.
— The White House is proposing a roughly $850 billion emergency economic rescue package Tuesday for businesses and taxpayers.
— President Donald Trump is asking Congress to unleash a torrent of emergency economic aid to help people through the financial pain of the coronavirus crisis, with sizable checks directly to Americans as part of the deal.
— 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 218 confirmed cases, Connecticut has 41, Rhode Island has 21, New Hampshire has 13 and Vermont has 10.
— Nationwide, there are 5,587 cases and 101 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.
[iframe url=”https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/e/2PACX-1vRAyVFx9353cjUApI50HbO2BUVDpq1cjuaZW_J_N4-wqvv4kxE57ukAmJe5L0__f2wima1W_2J1TD4f/pubchart?oid=674828296&format=interactive” width=”600″ height=”371″]