| The BDN is making the most crucial coverage of the coronavirus pandemic and its economic impact in Maine free for all readers. Click here for all coronavirus stories. You can join others committed to safeguarding this vital public service by purchasing a subscription or donating directly to the newsroom. Today is Saturday. Another 54 cases of the new coronavirus have been detected in Maine, health officials said Friday. There have now been 2,721 cases across all of Maine’s counties since the outbreak began here in March, according to the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention. That’s up from 2,667 on Thursday. Of those, 2,420 have been confirmed positive, while 301 are likely positive, according to the Maine CDC. [Our COVID-19 tracker contains the most recent information on Maine cases by county] No new deaths were reported Friday, leaving the statewide death toll at 100. It was the third day in a row with no new deaths. So far, 308 Mainers have been hospitalized at some point with COVID-19, the illness caused by the coronavirus. Of those, 32 people are currently hospitalized, with 11 in critical care and five on ventilators. Meanwhile, 2,105 people have fully recovered from the virus, meaning there are 516 active and likely cases in the state, according to the Maine CDC. That’s up from 505 on Thursday. Here’s the latest on the coronavirus and Maine. —“About two weeks into Penobscot County restaurants being allowed to reopen for dine-in service after a nearly three-month closure due to the pandemic, many restaurateurs find themselves surprised by the positive response from customers as they adapt to a new normal.” — Emily Burnham, BDN —“The University of Maine football team could start its preseason two weeks earlier than usual if a proposal by the NCAA Division I Football Oversight Committee is approved next week by the Division I Council. If passed, the plan would allow athletes, July 24 through Aug. 6, to participate in up to 20 hours of countable athletically-related activities per week, but not more than four hours per day.” — Larry Mahoney, BDN — “Fraud related to the coronavirus pandemic has run rampant in Maine and across the globe as scammers take advantage of the fear and confusion surrounding the virus. New data from the Federal Trade Commission shows that Mainers have reported 647 cases of COVID-19 fraud so far this year, adding up to roughly $140,000 in losses, WGME reports.” — Lynne Fort, BDN — “Take the stairs, not the elevator, down from your hotel room. Encourage people to bring their own food and drinks to your cookout. Use hand sanitizer after banking at an ATM. Call ahead to restaurants and nail salons to make sure staff are wearing face coverings. And no high-fives — or even elbow bumps — at the gym. These are some of the tips in long-awaited guidance from U.S. health officials about how to reduce risk of coronavirus infection for Americans who are attempting some semblance of normal life.” — Mike Stobbe, The Associated Press — “Maine will allow hotels and other lodging establishments to serve out-of-state visitors who have met the 14-day quarantine period or the new testing alternative on June 26, a slight acceleration aimed at helping the industry serve tourists ahead of the July 4 weekend. Lodging establishments were previously required to wait until July 1 to serve residents from other states under stage three of Gov. Janet Mills’ reopening plan.” — Jessica Piper, BDN —“Canada recently made changes that loosened restrictions for cross-border visits. But for some families living on Maine’s border, the changes don’t seem to amount to much.” — Alexander MacDougall, BDN As of Saturday morning, the coronavirus has sickened 2,048,986 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 114,669 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University of Medicine. Elsewhere in New England, there have been 7,538 coronavirus deaths in Massachusetts, 4,159 in Connecticut, 833 in Rhode Island, 308 in New Hampshire and 55 in Vermont. Watch: What Maine says about people of color being affected by coronavirus
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