Maine health officials reported the state’s first coronavirus-related death on Friday. The governor is being asked to shut down the entire state.
The state of Maine has reported its first death from COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus, the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention reported on Friday.
The man in his 80s was from Cumberland County, the area seeing the most cases. He has not been identified due to privacy laws, the Maine CDC said.
"This is a sad day for the state of Maine. I know I join countless people in extending my condolences to his family, friends, and loved ones during this difficult time," Gov. Janet Mills said in a statement. "Our state is a family. And while we mourn the loss of a member of our Maine family today, I find strength and solace in knowing that we will support one another and that, together, we will get through this."
Speaking later Friday, Mills said the state was asking all out-of-state residents traveling to Maine to self-quarantine for 14 days upon arriving.
Highway signs in the state were expected to display that message by Friday evening.
A number of state parks in Maine including popular Two Lights and Kettle Cove in Cape Elizabeth have also been closed because of crowding until at least April 8.
The man's death came as the Maine CDC announced Friday there were now 168 confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus.
Of those that have tested positive for the virus, 16 are health care workers and 22 people are hospitalized, according to Nirav Shah, the director of the Maine Centers for Disease Control.
Forty-nine percent of those who have tested positive are male while 51% are female, Shah said.
Mills declared a state of civil emergency earlier in the week. Under the order, schools and businesses throughout the state are closed to the public.
