PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — Dejected voters looking to cry in their beers over Election Day’s results will have to do so at home.
Monday was scheduled to be the day Maine bars reopened, but they did not, due to a surge in coronavirus cases. Democratic Gov. Janet Mills postponed the reopening of bars and tasting rooms indefinitely.
Maine is coping with a spike in COVID-19 cases that has affected most of the country. The state had more than 100 cases in a single day for the first time on Oct. 29.
The continued closure of bars is a hit to the economy of a state that loves beer. Portland has the most craft breweries relative to the size of its population of any American city, according to a 2019 story in Food & Wine magazine.
Other new restrictions in the state take effect on Wednesday. They include a reduction in indoor capacity from 100 to 50 and stricter rules on interstate travelers.
In other news related to the pandemic in Maine:
NEW CASES
Another 84 coronavirus cases have been reported in the state, the Maine CDC said Monday.
That brings the total reported coronavirus cases in Maine to 6,799. The number of deaths also increased by one to 148.
For most people, the 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, or death.
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