PORTLAND, Maine (AP) - Maine is reconsidering its plan to allow bars to open for indoor service on July 1 because of recent COVID-19 outbreaks tied to bar patrons in other states.
Outbreaks involving dozens of customers and employees at bars in Jacksonville, Florida, and Boise, Idaho, show how easily the new coronavirus can spread, said Dr. Nirav Shah, director of the Maine Center for Disease Control. Tight quarters and loud talking or singing raise the risk of spreading the virus, he said.
“When we think about COVID-19, the duration and density of exposure, bars raise significant health concerns on both fronts,” Shah said. “This constellation of factors is prompting us in Maine as well as health authorities in a number of other states, including Massachusetts and Vermont, to re-evaluate our timeline for when bars can safely reopen.”
Bars, breweries and tasting rooms are currently allowed to open for outdoor seating only. Restaurants are allowed to open for indoor seating.
In other pandemic-related news:
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THE NUMBERS
Another 42 people tested positive for the coronavirus, but there were no deaths over the past 24 hours, the Maine Centers for Disease Control reported Thursday.
All told, 2,878 Maine residents have tested positive and 102 have died during the pandemic, the Maine CDC said.
For most people, the new coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough that clear up in two to three weeks. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia and death.
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CLEAN ELECTION
The number of legislative candidates running “clean election” campaigns is down in 2020, largely because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
To qualify, candidates have to collect qualifying $5 contributions from at least 60 registered voters in their district.
Two candidates told the Maine Commission on Governmental Ethics and Campaign Finance on Wednesday that social distancing made it difficult to collect the qualifying funds during the pandemic.
All told, about 43 candidates who wanted to run a publicly funded campaign through the state program were unable to qualify - a higher figure than usual, the Portland Press Herald reported.
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BATH IRON WORKS
Navy shipbuilder Bath Iron Works has delivered the first machines designed to make specialized nasal swabs to Puritan Medical Products in Guilford.
Puritan is one of only two companies in the world - the other is in Italy - that make the specific type of swab used in testing for the new coronavirus.
The Trump administration is providing $75.5 million through the Defense Production Act for Puritan to double production to 40 million swabs a month, and the company plans to open a second production site by July 1.
The machines produced by Bath Iron Works will be used to get the second site up and running, officials said.
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