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Maine Sends Payment to Workers Left Jobless by Virus
Democratic Gov. Janet Mills authorized the payment, which differs from financial relief Americans are set to receive in the new federal coronavirus relief package. The Maine Department of Labor distributed the state payments to about 40,000 people on Monday. The state used $25.2 million in federal coronavirus aid to make the payments. Mills has said the payments differ from unemployment…
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Day After First Vaccine Shots, Maine Tops 500 COVID Infections
A day after Maine hospitals began providing the first Pfizer vaccines to health care workers, the state topped 500 new daily COVID-19 infections for the first time during the pandemic on Wednesday.
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Maine Tops 500 Infections in 1 Day After First Vaccine Shots
Maine topped 500 new daily COVID-19 infections for the first time during the pandemic on Wednesday, a day after hospitals began providing the first Pfizer vaccines to health care workers. Major hospital groups began receiving and administering the vaccines to at least 475 people in the state earlier this week. The first Mainer to receive the vaccine on Tuesday was…
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CDC Says Maine Wedding Outbreak Shows Need to Avoid Gatherings
A wave of coronavirus cases that hit Maine after a wedding is a case study in why it’s important to avoid gathering amid the pandemic, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said in a report about the deadly outbreak. The outbreak, based around an August wedding and reception in the Millinocket area, killed at least seven people...
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Youth Hockey Ref May Have Exposed Hundreds to Coronavirus in Maine, Officials Say
A referee who was on the ice for eight games over two days could’ve exposed hundreds of youth hockey players to the coronavirus in Maine and New Hampshire, officials said Thursday. The state is still getting a handle on the situation, but as many as 400 people could’ve been exposed to the virus, said Dr. Nirav Shah, director of...
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Pandemic Expected to Cost Maine's Hospitality Industry $1B
Maine hotels, restaurants and bars will lose $1 billion in direct taxable revenue in 2020 compared to last year because of the pandemic, an industry report says. The University of Maine study commissioned by the industry group HospitalityMaine finds that hospitality industry is expected to contribute roughly $3 billion in direct taxable revenue to the Maine economy, down from $4…
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Median Age of Coronavirus Sufferers Trends Downward in Maine
The median age of people who contract the coronavirus in the state of Maine is trending downward. The median age was 51.3 from March through the end of May, and it dipped to 41.4 for the months of June through September, Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention director Nirav Shah said Thursday. He said one of the reasons for…
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Maine Lifts Coronavirus Travel Restrictions for Mass.
Maine has lifted travel restrictions for Massachusetts, meaning visitors from the Bay State are no longer required to quarantine or get a COVID test upon reaching Maine.
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Maine Warns of Potential Coronavirus Exposure at Airport
The Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention is alerting travelers who recently passed through Portland International Jetport that they may have been exposed to COVID-19. On Monday, the agency issued a statement saying that anyone at the jetport between 12:30 p.m. and 4 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 20, should monitor for coronavirus symptoms. The jetport on Tuesday added to…
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Potential Exposure at Portland, Maine, Airport
A person who tried to fly from Maine to Florida has tested positive for COVID-19, prompting an exposure warning for travelers who went through Portland International Jetport Monday.
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8th Coronavirus Death Tied to Wedding in Maine
An eighth death has been linked to a coronavirus outbreak stemming from a wedding and reception in the northern part of Maine. The Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention said Saturday that the man who died was in his 80s and from Somerset County. The wedding at the Tri Town Baptist Church in East Millinocket and reception at the…
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Here's Why Officials Say 1 Wedding Could Undo Maine's Coronavirus Fight
A rural church wedding and reception on a beautiful day in the shadow of Mount Katahdin was no doubt a happy day. But it has spread misery ever since. That single event on Aug. 7 is linked to outbreaks in at least two other locations in Maine, with more than 170 people contracting the virus and seven deaths since. Dr….
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Virus Death Toll Linked to Maine Wedding Grows to 7
At least seven people have died in connection to a coronavirus outbreak that continues to sicken people in Maine following a wedding reception held over the summer that violated state virus guidelines, public health authorities said. The August wedding reception at the Big Moose Inn in Millinocket is linked to more than 175 confirmed cases of the virus, the Maine…
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Maine No Closer to Easing Travel Restrictions on Mass., RI
Public health officials in Maine are continuing to monitor the spread of coronavirus in other states, and they are no closer to easing travel restrictions put in place because of the virus. Maine requires travelers from other states to produce a negative coronavirus test or quarantine for two weeks. It exempted New Hampshire and Vermont from those requirements in late…
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Maine Pastor Hires Lawyer
The Maine pastor who presided over an East Millinocket wedding whose crowded reception has been linked to more than 140 virus cases has hired a lawyer known nationally for defending the religious rights of churches.
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Maine Gov. Mills Extends Civil Emergency Order for the 6th Time
Democratic Gov. Janet Mills on Wednesday extended a state of emergency for a sixth time during the pandemic. In a statement, Mills urged Mainers not to let “pandemic fatigue” allow them to become complacent, especially as students are returning to schools and universities across the state. “The outbreaks which we hear about in other states every day can sometimes feel…
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COVID Outbreak at Maine Church Under Investigation
An outbreak of COVID-19 among people affiliated with a church in Sanford, Maine, is under investigation by the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention. The agency said there are at least five confirmed cases of the virus involving people affiliated with Calvary Baptist Church. State officials have said the outbreak appears to have an overlap with a larger outbreak that...
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Outbreak Linked to Maine Wedding Reception Increases
Almost three weeks later, the number of COVID-19 cases associated with a Maine wedding reception has increased.
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COVID-19 Outbreak at Maine Wedding Spreads to Jail
A pair of outbreaks in the state of Maine that originated more than 200 miles apart appear to be related, public health authorities in the state said Tuesday. Maine health authorities have been battling outbreaks that originated at a wedding in Millinocket and the York County Jail. Those places are about 230 miles apart, but appear linked by a staff…
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Maine Providing ‘Back to School Toolkit' for Reopenings
Maine officials are offering a back-to-school toolkit to help schools navigate reopening during the coronavirus pandemic. The materials will include videos, posters and resources about coronavirus, the Maine Department of Labor said. The materials will help identify symptoms and provide information about preventing the spread of COVID-19. The toolkit will be “a multitude of resources that will help students with…