How efforts to mitigate the spread of the coronavirus is affecting Maine life:

L-A schools are addressing the outbreak

In Auburn, Superintendent Katy Grondin announced a variety of measures, including the cancellation of all school events that bring the community into Auburn schools. For example, all city band concerts, PTO events, literacy nights and chorus/band concerts.

Also, all nonessential meetings involving the community are canceled, according to Grondin. School assemblies will not take place until further notice. Dances are canceled as are sports banquets.

The school is also suspending school field trips, including a scheduled seventh-grade trip to Central Maine Community College in Auburn, which was hosting a number of schools.

In-school events such as pep rallies and fundraisers will continue but the statement said the events “may go on without parents or community in attendance.”

Grondin said all school buses will be disinfected after morning and afternoon runs.

And common sense still prevails.

“Staff is continuing to reinforce universal precaution measures such as regular hand washing, coughing and sneezing into the sleeve and staying home when you are sick,” Grondin wrote in a memo.

The Auburn schools website was being updated regularly as new information developed. The updates can be found at auburnschl.edu.

In Lewiston, school officials were also contending with rumors, speculations and a lot of questions from the community. Superintendent Todd Finn said Thursday afternoon that his department was doing its best to keep students and parents updated.

“Our communication with our community remains frequent, proactive and transparent,” he said.

Later in the day, Finn tweeted a link to a two-page letter to parents, explaining what the system is doing as the coronavirus threatens. “Understanding that LPS (Lewiston public schools) serves as not only a place to learn, but also a place to share meals, have social and emotional needs met, and to have specific services provided, it is our intention to remain open unless new information and guidance from the Maine DOE and CDC suggests otherwise,” Finn said.

He continued, “In order to prevent any potential outbreaks, we will be postponing assemblies and events that draw indoor crowds from the outside. We are being proactive in terms of field trips and postponing them for now as well. I am working closely with district leaders so that we can temporarily eliminate activities that are not necessary for the standard operation of our regular school day. More information will be communicated to you as we explore our next steps in terms of athletics and co-curricular activities.”

Bates College limits public access

Bates College in Lewiston posted on its website Thursday that it has begun limiting access to campus buildings to those with a valid Bates identification card.

“While we have historically welcomed the public into our facilities, this is a temporary mitigation measure in response to the global COVID-19 health crisis,” the college said.

In an email to students, Geoffrey Swift, vice president for finance and administration, said signs are being posted Thursday across campus and in the most commonly used buildings. He said Bates students need to keep their IDs with them in order to get in.

The college is also suspending its catering service.

SAD 17 canceling events

In the wake of the first confirmed case of COVID-19 in Maine, SAD 17 Superintendent Richard Colpitts said Thursday that starting Monday, activities involving “students, communities and parents” are canceled for at least 30 days.

The eight-town district is headquartered in Paris.

“We’re basically following the governor’s advice . . . parent nights, PTO meetings, plays, performances are all canceled,” Colpitts said.

According to Colpitts, international trips were canceled last week, and, starting Monday, SAD 17 is canceling out-of-state trips and assessing in-state trips on a “case-by-case” basis.

He said a message will be sent to parents and students Friday.

“A lot has changed since the governor changed her message, and we’ll act on that change tomorrow,” said Colpitts.

RSU 10 canceling community events at schools

Regional School Union 10 schools, including Mountain Valley High School in Rumford, Mountain Valley Middle School in Mexico, Rumford Elementary School, Meroby Elementary School in Mexico, Hartford-Sumner Elementary School, Buckfield Junior-Senior High School and the Western Foothills Regional Program in Rumford will suspend all school events that bring the community into the school, according to an email to RSU 10 staff from Superintendent Deb Alden on Thursday.

Suspended or adjusted events include:

• Fine arts night, sports tournaments, and drama events.
• Parent-teacher conferences, which instead will be held virtually or by phone.
• School trips, which will be suspended on a case-by-case basis. There will be no out-of-state trips and no events where multiple schools are gathering.
• School dances will go on without guest students in attendance. In-school events that have included parents or community members in the past may go on without parents or community in attendance.
• All outside leagues, practices, pick-up games or any other event that brings community members into the school buildings, until after April vacation.

RSU 9 canceling use of schools for community events

RSU 9, which includes 10 towns in Franklin County, including Farmington, has suspended the use of all district schools to outside use.

Superintendent Tina Meserve said all gatherings have been canceled through March 31 for now, but that could change.

“We’re trying to contain, self-isolate. Not bringing people in is helpful.”

Meserve said internally sponsored events will continue. “The extended day program after school, students are already here.”

She said sports, such as track, scheduled to begin before March 31, will continue.

Meserve said the district has been contacting individual programs to let them know their programs have been canceled.

She said she is evaluating the situation daily with decisions for April expected to be made later this month.

RSU 73 in Jay

Regional School Unit 73 Superintendent Scott Albert said he will meet with school nurses Friday to decide what precautions to take at its schools in Jay, Livermore and Livermore Falls.

Central Maine Community College extends spring break

In order to best prepare for the impact of the coronavirus outbreak, Maine’s seven community colleges are all extending their student breaks from one week to two weeks.

“This decision balances our commitment to creating the best possible learning environment for our students, keeping our communities healthy and safe and preparing to respond nimbly to what is clearly an evolving situation,” system President David Daigler said. “We are working diligently to continue operating as close to normal as possible.”

For CMCC in Auburn, its regular spring break is the week of March 16. It will extend the break for students to include the week of March 23. The additional week will allow for more time to prepare to transition as many in-person courses as possible to new methods of instruction, should the need arise, officials said.

“We aren’t yet in a position where we must move classes to an alternative form of learning, but we must be prepared to do so if it becomes necessary,” Daigler said.

Colisee postponing events

The Androscoggin Bank Colisee in Lewiston is suspending mass gatherings indefinitely, following the first presumptive coronavirus case in Maine.

According to a statement from Jim Cain, Colisee owner and operator, “we hope these preventive measures will decrease any risk whatsoever of someone becoming infected.’’

The 2020 Maine Home Show, scheduled for March 19-22, has been rescheduled to Saturday and Sunday , May 9 and 10.

The Maine Cheer Classic scheduled for Saturday, March 28, has been postponed until further notice.

The 6th Annual Pine Tree District Robotics Competition, scheduled for Friday and Saturday, April 5 and  6, has been canceled.

The Kora Shrine Circus, scheduled for April 18-22, remains scheduled for now.

Franklin Health Pediatrics halts walk-in urgent care service

Franklin Health Pediatrics of Farmington announces the practice is temporarily suspending walk-in urgent care services for its established patients effective Monday, March 16. A parent of a child with an urgent care condition is asked to call the practice first so staff can triage in the event that any concerns about coronavirus arise based on screening questions.

Auburn Concerts for a Cause concert canceled

Concerts for a Cause announced it is canceling Saturday night’s show by Chris Robley and Friends at the Universalist Church of Auburn “out of an abundance of caution and in keeping with” recommendations to practice social distancing.

Dial 211 to get answers to your questions

The Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention and 211 Maine announced Thursday a new option for Mainers to get answers to questions about the coronavirus at any time. This service is available by dialing 211 (or 1-866-811-5695), texting your ZIP code to 898-211, or emailing info@211maine.org .

211 Maine is a free, confidential information and referral service that connects people of all ages across Maine to local services. Maine CDC worked closely with 211 Maine to incorporate answers to general questions about COVID-19 to the 211 resource. Calls, texts, and emails to 211 are answered 24/7 by a person here in the state.

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