The Calais Advertiser will be regularly updating this page with information relating to coronavirus in Washington County, including closures, cancellations, and postponements. If you have any updates to include here, please email them to [email protected]

Effective April 2:  Governor Mills orders stay home at all times unless to go to an essential job or an essential activity (groceries, medical reasons, prescription pick ups), no use of public transportation (unless for an essential activity such a groceries, medical reasons, prescription pick ups), and only travel with people in your immediate household.  

Learn more:  https://www.maine.gov/governor/mills/news/governor-mills-issues-stay-hea...

March 18:  Governor Mills Takes Further Steps to Respond to COVID-19:

• Gatherings of more than 10 people are prohibited until further notice. 
• Dine-in facilities at all restaurants/bars are closed.  (Carry-out/take-out/drive-thru/delivery can continue.)
• Non-essential public-facing businesses, such as hair salons, gyms, theaters, malls, etc., are urged to close their doors for the next two weeks to minimize public gatherings.

March 15: Governor Mills declares a Maine Civil State of Emergency.  Recommends all public schools end classroom instruction, health care providers postpone electrive surgeries and appointments, elderly care centers limit entry to essential personnel only, and enhance social distancing (all events of 50 people or more be postponed until further notice).

March 12:  Governor Janet Mills announced the first presumptive positive case of the 2019 novel coronavirus / Covid-19. The individual in question, a female in her 50s, lives in Androscoggin County, and recently traveled back to the United States from Italy. The governor announced three steps to reduce the possible spread of disease: 1) proclaiming an insurance emergency to improve access to care and require private health insurance plans to cover costs related to coronavirus testing; 2) suspending all non-essential out-of-state work travel by State employees; and 3) recommending, on the advice of Maine CDC, that non-essential large, indoor gatherings of 250 attendees or more be postponed in order to delay a potential coronavirus outbreak and substantially reduce its spread.

SCHOOLS/GOVERNMENT:   04/01/20 update - all schools closed until at least April 30th.

AOS #77 (Alexander, Baring, Charlotte, Crawford, Dennysville, Eastport, Lubec, Pembroke, Perry):  closed until at least April 1.  

Beatrice Rafferty School, Perry:  closed until March 27.  (The kitchen will remain open for breakfast and bagged lunches.)

Calais School Department: closed until Wednesday, April 1st for students. Administration, teachers, and support staff continue to work on a plan to provide educational service through online and pen and paper work for students.  Breakfast and lunch will be provided to students in grades pre-K through 12, either through pick up at CES or in some cases, delivery started Wednesday, March 18. Closings may be extended beyond April 1st.

Indian Township School and Tribal Government: closed for two weeks, effective Monday, March 16. 

March 16, Passamaquoddy Child Development Center, Perry:  closed through March 27.

Woodland/Princeton/East Range Schools/MSAD 30:  closed indefinitely.

Q&A at Woodland Jr.-Sr. High School, Baileyville scheduled for 03/17: Public question and answer session hosted by Superintendent Braun, Principal Ross, and Principal Belanger:  canceled.

SPRING SPORTS - The Maine Principals' Association (MPA) Board of Directors and Interscholastic Management Committee voted on 03/15/20 to delay the start of the 2020 spring sports pre-season practice until April 27, 2020.

Courts:  Learn more:  www.courts.maine.gov/covid19.shtml

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LOCAL RESTAURANT INFORMATION - All dine-in services have been suspended.  Most are still providing take-outs/deliveries, as well as offering specials to our senior population and for students.  Contact the restaurants directly for more information.  

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LOCAL STORES/BUSINESSES INFORMATION

Calais Community Thrift Store:  closed until further notice.

Calais Free Library:  closed until further notice.

Irene Chadbourne Ecumenical Food Pantry:  Only one person at a time will be permitted to enter the food pantry.  As one client leaves, another will enter.  You will need to take a number then go back to your vehicle; groups will not be permitted to congregate in the driveway.  Please follow all directions provided by the staff.  

FA Peabody Insurance:  open for business; however, until further notice, offices are closed to customer traffic.  Please call the office for your insurance needs or with general questions, 207-454-2556.

State Cinemas in Calais closed until further notice.  

The Calais Advertiser:  all home newspaper deliveries by paper carriers are suspended until further notice.  Those who normally receive their paper at their home from a carrier may call the office and have it mailed during this time.  207-454-3561

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EVENTS

March 15, Robbinston Community Potluck: Canceled.

March 15, Eastport Statehood Celebration: For those of you who were planning on going, the celebration of Maine's 200th, set for Sunday, March 15 in Eastport, has been cancelled due to the word that coronavirus is now in Maine. Still hoping to do the Field Day this summer.

March 15, Maine Tourism Association's Calais Information Center Bicentennial event:  postponed.  New date to still to be determined.

March 16, Bicentennial Celebration at Alexander Elementary School:  cancelled.

March 16, St. Croix Quilters: no meetings until further notice.

March 17, Calais Little League sign-ups:  cancelled.  The Calais Little League board reports that it is very likely the March 24th date will also be cancelled.  It is important that parents sign their child(ren) up online before the March 31st deadline. http://calaislittleleague.org/wordpress/?page_id=339

March 19, the Honor Case of The Summit Project public viewing with “Blessing of the Stones” ceremony at U.S. Customs Border Protection:  canceled. 

March 21, Boy Scouts' Pancake Breakfast:  postponed.  All tickets sold will be honored on the new date, to be determined.

March 22, Chandler Sugar Shack, Topsfield, and Maple Lane Sugary, Robbinston, Maple Sunday events:  cancelled.

March 22, Robbinston Historical Society's Pancake Breakfast: Canceled.  

March 29, Calais Celtic Concerts, McPeak: cancelled.