| Today is Monday. There have now been 1,687 confirmed and likely cases of the new coronavirus in all of Maine’s counties since the outbreak began in March, according to the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention. No new deaths were reported Sunday, leaving the statewide death toll at 70. The latest death, confirmed Saturday, involved a man in his 90s from Cumberland County. So far, 216 Mainers have been hospitalized at some point with COVID-19, the illness caused by the coronavirus, while 1,028 people have fully recovered from the coronavirus, leaving 589 active and likely cases in the state. That’s up from 566 on Saturday. A majority of the cases have been in Mainers over age 50, while more cases have been reported in women than men, according to the Maine CDC. Here’s a roundup of the latest news about the coronavirus and its impact in Maine. — The Maine CDC will provide an update on the coronavirus this afternoon. The BDN will livestream the briefing. — Now that the coronavirus has been circulating around Maine for more than two months, the ever-growing mass of numbers, anecdotes and other information about the pandemic may be dizzying to anyone without a very strong interest in biology or disease surveillance. Here are some of the most important measures to watch to understand the severity of the coronavirus in Maine. — A senior residence in Auburn has become the latest long-term care facility in Maine to confirm an outbreak of the coronavirus after three employees and one resident tested positive. Clover Health Care is now working with the Maine CDC to test its staff and residents — around 550 people — for the infection. Only one of the four who have been infected so far have shown any symptoms. Meanwhile, an employee of Birch Bay Retirement Village in Bar Harbor has tested positive for the coronavirus, but all other staff at the facility tested negative during an initial round of testing. — Hedda Campbell was a server at one of Maine’s most popular restaurants. Her job might be offered back soon. But she wonders if returning is worth it. Restaurant owners around the state are beginning to offer jobs back to servers, bartenders and cashiers laid off at the outset of the pandemic. Facing a compromised tourist season, many believe their old jobs will fundamentally change, with fewer hours, more busywork and less business. That would bring fewer tips, a problem among workers who rely on them to supplement a subminimum wage. — Crystal Pomerleau, an out-of-work Portland bartender, doesn’t expect her job to return anytime soon. Even when the hospitality industry emerges from restrictions aimed at slowing the spread of the coronavirus, the former bar manager at Three of Strong Spirits in Portland’s Bayside neighborhood believes the profession will be different, with more restrictions, fewer staffers and less volume. “The job I was hired to perform no longer exists,” Pomerleau said. — A Superior Court justice granted a temporary injunction Friday against Sunday River Brewing Co., the Bethel restaurant owned by Rick and Ron Savage that lost its licenses after defying Democratic Gov. Janet Mills’ executive orders. In his ruling, the judge ordered the restaurant to stay closed until its licenses are reinstated. The injunction was sought by the Maine Department of Health and Human Services. Rick Savage told a Fox News host that he will remain open, even if it means going to jail. — Former governor Paul LePage briefly returned to Blaine House on Saturday for a protest of the business restrictions put in place to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. LePage did not even appear to leave the vehicle — with its Florida plates — that he drove to the rally. — The history of the United States and the colonies that formed it has been a 413-year balancing act across an assortment of topics, priorities, passions and ambitions. Now, in the coronavirus era, that tug of war — is it about individuals or the communities to which they belong? — is showing itself in fresh, high-stakes ways. While the catalyst is an unprecedented pandemic, the collision of individual rights and the common good is as old as the republic itself. — As many lodging businesses look to reopen June 1, around the time when the state’s busy tourist season typically begins, it might be more difficult for homeless Mainers who have been taking refuge at area motels during the pandemic to find other housing. — As of early Monday morning, the coronavirus has sickened 1,486,742 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 89,564 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University of Medicine. — Elsewhere in New England, there have been 5,797 in Massachusetts, 3,408 in Connecticut, 499 in Rhode Island, 172 in New Hampshire and 53 in Vermont.
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. Another Mainer has died as health officials reported 45 more cases of the new coronavirus have been detected in the state. There have now been 1,648 cases across all of Maine’s counties since March, according to the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention. That’s up from 1,603 on Friday. [Our COVID-19 tracker contains the most recent information on Maine cases by county] The latest death is a man in his 90s from Cumberland County. The state death toll now stands at 70. Here’s the latest on the coronavirus and its impact on Maine. — Calls to Maine’s mental health help and crisis lines have increased since the COVID-19 pandemic hit Maine two months ago. But experts worry the true psychological toll of this disaster is one that could linger for months — if not years — especially for frontline health care providers and other essential workers who are at higher risk for the development of post-traumatic stress disorder. — Maine’s public university students stuck with their classes to the end this semester at about the same rate as they did a year ago, even as all classes shifted online about halfway through the semester. — Theaters have been scrambling to pay the bills and come up with contingency plans for a number of scenarios for the fall — from no fall season at all, to reduced capacity, to more performances in a shorter period of time. — Maine is regularly one of the states with the highest voter turnout and has ranked highly in studies on ballot access with no-reason-necessary absentee ballots and same-day registration. The onus will be on cities and towns to ensure a safe summer election as they struggle to find poll workers. Even registering to vote is more of a challenge with municipal offices closed. — Mainers are drinking more during the pandemic. But without bars, sales of beer, wine and liquor happen largely at stores with consumption at home, cutting out the bartender. — Over five hundred people, including former governor Paul LePage, rallied in Augusta on Saturday to protest Gov. Janet Mills’ executive orders that are keeping some businesses closed. — A Superior Court Justice granted a temporary injunction Friday against Sunday River Brewing Co., the Bethel restaurant owned by Rick and Ron Savage which lost its licenses after defying Gov. Janet Mills’ executive orders. — Editorial: “The idea of promoting ‘ staycations’ here in Vacationland is nothing new. And with dire predictions about the COVID-19 pandemic’s impact on Maine’s hospitality and tourism sector, there are several ways to adopt and adapt the concept of a staycations to help soften the blow and plan for the future,” writes the BDN editorial board. — Watch: Who can make reservations at Maine hotels next month? —As of early Sunday morning, the coronavirus has sickened 1,467,884 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 88,754 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University of Medicine. —Elsewhere in New England, there have been 5,705 coronavirus deaths in Massachusetts, 3,339 in Connecticut, 489 in Rhode Island, 171 in New Hampshire and 53 in Vermont.
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