In Tuesday's Maine Coronavirus briefing, Governor Janet Mills extended Maine's civil state of emergency another 30 days to May 15 while keeping the stay at home order through April 30. The original state of emergency proclamation would have expired on April 15.

The extension allows Mills to continue to have the authority to deploy all available state resources and keep access to federal aid in order to combat the pandemic. Mills said she wishes the extension wasn't necessary, but the cornaovirus threat "demands our sustained response."

The stay out home order remains in place, but the Governor did say it is subject to review and renewal if appropriate. The power to extend the stay at home order is given with the extension of the state of emergency put into place today.

Maine CDC director Dr. Nirav Shah reported that Maine's number of reported cases of the coronavirus (COVID-19) is now at 734, an increase of 36 more cases since Monday. Statewide, 292 people have recovered, and one new death was reported, bringing the total number at 20.

124 patients have had to be hospitalized at some point, the same number as Monday. 37 are currently hospitalized and 21 of those are in intensive care. 9 patients are on ventilators.

Cumberland County has the most positive cases of COVID-19 and community transmission is occurring there along with York county. All counties except Piscataquis county have recorded at least one case of COVID-19.

Here's a breakdown of the numbers by county from the Maine CDC.

Maine CDC
Maine CDC
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Governor Janet Mills has ordered all Mainers to stay home unless you work for an essential business or need to do an essential activity. The executive order remains in effect until April 30, but is subject to review and extension if necessary. Find out what that means for you by clicking or tapping here.

If you have symptoms of the coronavirus, including a runny nose, sore throat, dry cough, fever and in severe cases, difficulty breathing, the Maine CDC says you should call your doctor before going in so that they can prepare for your arrival.

Shah says that right now, our only vaccine against the COVID-19 is physical distancing. It is the key to flattening out the curve of the spread of the coronavirus, a point Dr Shah stressed is vitally important for Mainers to practice. A low curve means that the virus is spreading slowly which gives doctors more time and resources to treat more people. The higher the curve, the most people get sick at once and medical facilities get overwhelmed. Shah says that right now, our only vaccine against the COVID-19 is physical distancing.

The Maine CDC continues to update with new information daily. Keep checking on our mobile app or website to get the latest.

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