As of Sunday, there have been 3,539 cases of coronavirus in all Maine counties since the outbreak began here in March, according to the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention.
A Penobscot County woman in her 90s and a Cumberland County man in her 70s have died, bringing the statewide death toll to 114. Their deaths follow Saturday’s report that a woman in 80 year old Cumberland County died.
So far, 371 Mainers have been hospitalized at some point with COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus. Of these, 19 people are currently hospitalized, nine in critical care and three on ventilators.
Meanwhile, 22 more people have recovered from the coronavirus, bringing the total recoveries to 2,994. That means there are 431 probable and active cases in the state, up from 436 on Saturday.
Here is a summary of the latest news about the coronavirus and its impact in Maine.
– “ICE had been allowing international students to stay in the country and take remote classes. But Monday’s rule ends that deal, which affects thousands of foreign students currently in the US, as well as those in foreign countries who plan to return to the US this fall to continue their education. Under the regulation, the United States will not issue visas to students enrolled in universities that plan to offer classes entirely online this fall. Students from these universities would not be allowed to enter the country. If they already live here, they will be asked to leave or transfer to a school with in-person instruction to maintain their legal status. “- Eesha Pendharkar, BDN
– “Carried by the tide, piles of plastic bottles, Styrofoam and broken fishing gear accumulate every year on the Maine islands. To clean up this mess, the Maine Island Trail Association generally organizes annual trips, filling boats with volunteers armed with trash bags. But this year, COVID-19 ended that program, and MITA, like many nonprofit conservation organizations, has had to rethink how it works. “- Aislinn Sarnacki, BDN
– “Government Janet Mills issued an executive order to prevent the spread of the new coronavirus. The goal is to increase enforcement of a previous state order to wear face covers in public when physical distancing is difficult. The order requires companies to do Fulfill facial coverage mandate, but only applies to certain businesses in certain counties and cities Some Mainers working in health care say the mosaic approach doesn’t go far enough. ”- Patty Wight, Maine Public
– “An inmate at the York County Jail tested positive for the new coronavirus. … It is the second positive case of coronavirus appearing in Maine county jails since the outbreak began here in March. The other case was discovered at the Cumberland County Jail in Portland on June 29. “- Christopher Burns, BDN
– “An increasing number of small US businesses plan to fire workers after using a federal coronavirus relief loan, as many states are slowing down or changing reopening plans amid increased cases,” according to displays a new survey. About 22 percent of companies that received assistance from the Paycheck Protection Program have laid off workers or expect to fire one or more workers once their loan runs out, compared to 14 percent last month, according to a survey of its members from the National Federation of Independent Business. PPP, a key federal stimulus program, was meant to keep workers on payroll during the pandemic. “- Mark Niquette, Bloomberg
– “President Donald Trump wore a mask during a visit to a military hospital on Saturday, the first time the President was seen in public with the type of facial covering recommended by health officials as a precaution against spread or infection by the new coronavirus. Trump flew by helicopter to the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in suburban Washington to meet with wounded service members and health care providers caring for patients with COVID-19. ” – Jonathan Lemire, The Associated Press
