Developments from around New England on the coronavirus pandemic.
MAINE
The ranks of those who’ve tested positive for the coronavirus in Maine now include a Portland police officer and one member each from the Bates and Colby college communities.
Portland Police Chief Frank Clark said the officer who tested positive for COVID-19 is currently quarantined out of state. It wasn’t immediately clear how the officer contracted the virus.
In Waterville, the city solicitor warned that the normal rules apply for city government meetings after a coronavirus panel met in secret and made unlawful decisions, including a vote to suspend the city’s ban on plastic bags. Sigmund Schutz, lawyer for MaineToday Media, told the state attorney general’s Maine Public Access ombudsman that urgent guidance is needed for state and local government on compliance with the Freedom of Access Act.
The Maine Center for Disease Control said Thursday that more than 50 people have tested positive for the virus in Maine.
For most people, the coronavirus causes only mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia, or death. The vast majority of people recover.
___
RHODE ISLAND
The Rhode Island Student Loan Authority announced Friday that non-federal student loan borrowers experiencing financial hardship because of the coronavirus pandemic can apply at the agency’s website to skip two months of payments.
(Copyright (c) 2026 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)