Mills extends curfew as Maine reports 290 more COVID-19 cases, 4 more deaths

State health officials reported 290 new cases of COVID-19 on Friday, as well as four additional deaths.

The high total comes a day after Maine set a record with 346 new cases. Another grim record was set this week, when 20 new deaths from COVID-19 were reported on Tuesday.

Due to recent trends, Governor Janet Mills announced on Friday that she was extending the state’s 9 p.m. curfew for restaurants and other businesses until January 3. It was due to expire on Sunday.

“It’s too early to know the impact of the Thanksgiving holiday on the spread of COVID-19 in Maine, but with hundreds of people falling ill across the state, and many more dying and so many receiving critical care in our overburdened hospitals, we cannot afford to let our guard down, ”Mills said in a statement.

“This targeted step aims to limit evening gatherings in public places where we know people are more likely to let their guard down and expose themselves and others to this deadly virus. At the same time, this action allows businesses to remain open during the majority of their opening hours, provided they comply with basic public health and safety measures.

A passenger on a bus wears a mask and appears to be socially estranged from other passengers as the bus descends Congress Street on Tuesday. Shawn Patrick Ouellette / Team Photographer

The 7-day average rose to 228 on Friday, according to data from the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention. In 15 of the past 30 days, daily cases have passed 200. Only five times have cases dropped below 150, and two of those days were Thanksgiving, when the state lab was closed, and the next day. , where there was less process testing. A month ago, the 7-day average was 98. Two months ago, there were only 33 cases.

New cases were reported in every county except Washington on Friday. Kennebec County had the most, with 51, followed by Penobscot with 47. There are now 2,743 active cases, 142 more than yesterday. In one week, the number of active cases increased by 35%.

Also on Friday, Mills updated the state’s color-coding system for schools and moved Oxford County to the yellow category, where it joined the counties of Androscoggin, Somerset and York. A yellow categorization signifies high risk and advises schools to consider additional precautions, such as hybrid learning models or reducing the number of people in classrooms. Many schools, even those in counties with green designations, are already taking additional safety measures.

Franklin and Washington, which had been placed in the yellow category, returned to green as their per capita case rate fell below the state average. All other counties are classified as green, although Penobscot County is being closely watched because its rate of new cases is rising rapidly.

Maine CDC director Dr Nirav Shah and Maine Department of Health and Human Services commissioner Jeanne Lambrew are expected to provide an update at 2 p.m.

Since the pandemic hit Maine in March, there have been 12,844 confirmed or probable cases and 224 deaths. There have been 11 deaths so far in December. Two of Friday’s deaths were in Androscoggin County and one each was in York County and Oxford.

Last month, 67 people died from COVID-19, the highest of any month and more than the previous five months combined.

Hospitalizations had not yet been updated on Friday morning, but by Thursday 144 people had been hospitalized – 43 of them in intensive care and 19 on ventilators. This time last month, 36 people were in hospital with COVID-19.

Cases, hospitalizations and deaths set new records across the county as the winter surge predicted by health experts set in. As of Friday, the number of cases in the United States had exceeded 14 million, deaths had reached 275,000 and more than 100,000 had been hospitalized. Greater circulation is probably linked to the Thanksgiving holiday, when many people traveled, some across state borders.

The worst period of the pandemic comes as pharmaceutical companies and the federal government prepare to roll out vaccine distribution this month, although it is likely well into 2021 before vaccinations become widespread.

This story will be updated

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