As of 12:15 p.m. Sunday, March 22, 89 Maine residents have been confirmed 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 5 p.m. To read all of our coverage, click here.
— Eighty-nine cases of the new coronavirus were reported in Maine on Sunday, up from 70 the day before.
— So far, the coronavirus has hit hardest in Cumberland County, where 53 cases have been detected. Other cases have been detected in Androscoggin (3), Kennebec (4), Lincoln (4), Oxford (4), Penobscot (2), Sagadahoc (3), and York (8) counties.
— Eight people are hospitalized in Maine due to the new coronavirus, while at least three people have now recovered from a bout of the coronavirus, according to the Maine CDC.
— Here’s what we know about the Mainers who have tested positive for coronavirus.
— Bangor expanded its coronavirus-related emergency regulation to ban the operation of entertainment venues, sport and exercise facilities, and other gathering places.
— The VA Maine Health Care System announced emergency protocols Sunday after three members of its community tested positive for the new coronavirus.
— The start of Maine’s annual, multimillion dollar commercial baby eel season, which had been scheduled to start Sunday, is being delayed for at least two weeks due to concerns about the spread of the coronavirus.
— With restaurants shuttered, Maine fishermen and farmers are pivoting to sell goods directly to their customers.
— Grocery store workers are on the frontlines of the COVID-19 pandemic. They don’t have much choice.
— The Maine Center for Disease Control is set to begin d istributing more than 22,000 pieces of protective equipment to health care facilities across the state.
— All at once, a steady U.S. economy screeched to a halt. “We’ve been through 9/11. We’ve seen recessions. We’ve never seen anything like this,” EmpireCLS CEO David Seelinger said.
— Massachusetts health officials reported three new deaths from the coronavirus on Sunday, bringing the state’s total to five.
— New Hampshire retail stores are being ordered to temporarily transition to the use of single-use paper or plastic bags because of the risk that reusable bags could pose a risk of transmission of 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 zip code to 207-898-211 or emailing info@211maine.org.
— Throughout the rest of New England, Massachusetts has 646 confirmed cases and five deaths, Connecticut has 223 cases and five deaths, Vermont has 52 confirmed cases and two deaths, Rhode Island has 83 confirmed cases and New Hampshire has 65.
— Nationwide, there are 31,772 cases and 400 deaths from the coronavirus as of Saturday evening, according to The New York Times.