The statewide death toll has risen to 78. The death reported on Sunday was a man in his 60s from York County.
Here’s the latest news on the coronavirus and its impact in Maine.
— “Two more prisoners have tested positive for COVID-19, the Maine Department of Corrections said Saturday. The men, inmates at the Maine Correctional Center in Windham, are the third and fourth prisoners in the state to be diagnosed after the facility began campus-wide testing last week after the first positive case was confirmed.” — Abigail Curtis, BDN
— “The coronavirus infection rate between black Mainers and other demographics has grown more pronounced as cases have risen in the state, likely due in part to their stark overrepresentation in low-paying frontline jobs.” – Nick Schroeder, BDN
— “This year’s Memorial Day will pay tribute not only to those who died on the battlefield but more recent fallen soldiers. And in a reminder of the way coronavirus has transformed American lives and traditions, many of the usual Memorial Day gatherings have been either canceled or curtailed — mindful of the pandemic that has already killed more than 90,000 people in the U.S.” — The Associated Press
— “The Rock Church of Bangor was set to hold its first service in its new 550-seat sanctuary on March 22 when the coronavirus hit Maine and the governor ordered all nonessential businesses, including churches, to shut down to slow the spread of the coronavirus.” — Judy Harrison, BDN
— “For all the chaos that COVID-19 has inflicted on the U.S. health care system, the ongoing pandemic has brought at least one silver lining: More patients have been able to see their doctors using video conferencing technology, with the possibility that the practice could make medical care more affordable in the long term.” — Charles Eichacker, BDN
— “As the coronavirus pandemic zeroed in on Maine, P.E. teachers found themselves up against a new challenge: how to keep their students active at home without in-person instruction and very minimal — if any — fitness equipment on hand.” — Nina Mahaleris, The Penobscot Times
— “While the closures have led to challenges, there have also been some unexpected benefits for the museums. With an online presence, the Maine art that each museum spotlights is now reaching national audiences.” — Lauren Abbate, BDN
— “This Memorial Day, Americans should have no trouble finding time, or reason, to honor their comrades — even as they must do so at a safe distance from one another.” — BDN Editorial Board
— Watch: “Rock Church Pastor Kirk Winters speaks about how some members of his nondenominational congregation view the coronavirus pandemic differently.” — Natalie Williams, BDN
— As of Sunday evening, the coronavirus has sickened 1,639,872 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 97,599 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University of Medicine.
— Elsewhere in New England, there have been 6,304 coronavirus deaths in Massachusetts, 3,675 in Connecticut, 608 in Rhode Island, 208 in New Hampshire and 54 in Vermont.
