Maine Blacks contract virus 20 times more often

Portland, Maine (AP) — The widest racial disparity in the U.S. stemming from the coronavirus pandemic is in Maine, where Black residents are contracting the virus at 20 times the rate of their white neighbors, according to a report in the Portland Press Herald.

Maine has the highest percentage of white residents of any state and it also has a low rate of coronavirus infection, with less than 3,000 cases in total. But the Portland Press Herald reports Black Maine residents, who make up 1.4% of the state’s population, account for nearly a quarter of the state’s coronavirus cases.

The Maine Immigrants’ Rights Coalition called the disparity “enormous and growing” and told the newspaper the state’s Black community has suffered from compromised access to health services during the pandemic.

“We are making strides and we are attempting to do better in partnership with members of those communities. But … I will be the first to acknowledge that we have more to do there,” the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s director Nirav Shah said recently.

In other news about the coronavirus pandemic around New England:

Rhode Island

The International Tennis Hall of Fame Museum in Newport reopened to the public.

Guided tours are not available and masks are required. The museum is providing masks to people who don’t have one.

Massachusetts

The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority is planning more service on subway lines starting today.

The MBTA has been running with reduced service due to the pandemic, but will add more as part of the next phase of the state’s reopening, The Boston Globe reported. The service increases will apply to dozens of bus lines, as well.

Massachusetts has been hit hard by the pandemic, and has been the site of more than 100,000 cases of the disease.

The MBTA said it plans to closely monitor ridership, and masks will still be required for riders. Social distancing will also be encouraged.

New Hampshire

The state’s capital city is seeing more use of fireworks by private residents than typical, as the coronavirus pandemic has canceled dozens of planned celebrations.

New Hampshire had more than 100 fireworks shows last year and about a third that many are scheduled this year, the Concord Monitor reported. Most of those have happened already.

The city of Concord is seeing more complaints about fireworks use this year, police chief Brad Osgood said. Purchasing fireworks is relatively easy in New Hampshire. Osgood said exercising safety is important.