10 UMaine Facilities Employees Test Positive for COVID

The University of Maine said 10 employees who work in facilities management at the university have tested positive for the coronavirus.

The university said it's working to contain the virus by temporarily closing the facilities management office building and utilizing contact tracing and testing. All but one of the 10 employees work in an administrative role and they are all isolating in private residences, the university said.

"We are hopeful that all individuals in our communities who have tested positive and are afflicted or impacted by COVID-19 will have good health and rapid recovery, and will experience quarantine and isolation periods that progress easily," said UMaine President Joan Ferrini-Mundy.

The university said Sunday there is a total of 27 known cases of students and employees across the entire University of Maine System who are currently in isolation due to the virus.

New cases of the coronavirus in the state are continuing to surge. An additional 204 coronavirus cases have been reported in the state, the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention said Monday.

The 7-day rolling average of new daily cases has also risen from 41 new cases per day on Oct. 2 to 161 new cases per day on Nov. 8.

Maine Gov. Janet Mills on Thursday issued a new executive order requiring people to wear face coverings in public settings regardless of their ability to maintain physical distance from others.