coronavirus in maine

Maine Gov. Janet Mills on Tuesday lifted the state’s requirement that people wear face coverings outside, effective immediately, after the U.S. Centers for Disease Control updated its guidance on masks. In a statement, the Maine Center for Disease Control said masks are no longer required in public, but recommended that people continue to wear them “in outdoor settings where...

Masks will still be required indoors within the state.

Maine expanded eligibility for the coronavirus vaccine to everyone age 50 and older on Tuesday. The state is using age-based tiers to apportion the limited number of coronavirus vaccines it has access to. Everyone age 16 and older will come eligible on April 19. The office of Gov. Janet Mills, a Democrat, said more than 580,000 doses of coronavirus vaccines…

Approximately 165,000 additional Maine residents in the 50-59 age range became eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine Tuesday.

Maine is adopting an “age-based approach” to COVID-19 vaccine eligibility that will allow residents 60 years and older to make appointments starting next week, Gov. Janet Mills announced Friday. According to Mills, the new strategy prioritizes older people who are more likely to get seriously ill or die from COVID-19. As part of the move, Maine will expand eligibility to…

Maine Gov. Janet Mills announced Thursday that she will end the 9 p.m. early closing time for businesses effective Monday, Feb. 1 due to a decline in the state’s COVID-19 positivity rate. Beginning Monday, businesses that had been subject to the requirement can resume evening operating hours, as long as they follow the state’s remaining public health and safety...

Maine Republican Sen. Susan Collins says the Biden administration’s coronavirus relief package needs to be refined before she can sign on to it. Collins and Sen. Joe Manchin, a West Virginia Democrat, led a conference call for lawmakers with National Economics Director Brian Deese. Collins said late Sunday that she has concerns about the $1.9 trillion plan. “While I support…

Maine’s health care providers have started scheduling COVID-19 vaccines for those 70 and older, despite a short supply of doses. Gov. Janet Mills’ office has published a list online showing where people in that category can schedule an appointment. MaineHealth was flooded with more than 18,000 calls Monday, the first day people could request an appointment, John Porter, spokesperson for…

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…

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.

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…

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...

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...

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…

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…

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.

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…

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.

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…

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….