BATH — In the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, Bath and Brunswick have closed their municipal buildings to the public, as well as issued emergency proclamations that ban late-night gatherings.
No business is allowed to host or organize activities between 8 p.m. and 2 a.m., and no person can be in, or remain in, any establishment within the two communities. Those places include restaurants, museums, dance clubs, music venues – establishments where groups gather or people are in close contact with each other.
Take-out and delivery service are still allowed after 8 p.m.
Bath City Manager Peter Owen said his order “does not prohibit businesses, retail stores, gas stations, pharmacies, grocery stores and the like from operating during their normal business hours. The goal of the order was to prevent leisurely gatherings of people at restaurants, bars, etc.” after 8 p.m.
As of Wednesday, 30 Mainers were confirmed as having COVID-19 – the respiratory disease caused by a coronavirus – and 13 had tested positive but required validation. There have been 1,670 people who tested negative, and one recovery, according to the Maine Center for Disease Control & Prevention.
Municipal and school spaces have shut down across the state in order to avoid the spread of the illness.
Bath
The city has closed its Public Works facility to the public, and the Bath Youth Meetinghouse and Skatepark is closed this week and next. “Grab and Go” grocery bags will be offered at the latter Fridays from 4-5 p.m.
Regional School Unit 1, which includes Bath, Arrowic, Phippsburg and Woolwich, has closed its schools through March 27. In the meantime, all district students can pick up a free breakfast or lunch at the Dike-Newell, Fisher Mitchell, Phippsburg Elementary, and Woolwich Central schools. Service times are Monday-Friday, 10:30 a.m.-1 p.m.
Bath’s Parks and Recreation Department is postponing all programs, meetings and events for two weeks, during which time no outside committees or groups can use city buildings.
Maine Maritime Museum has suspended public museum access through April 30. “The museum’s collections will be available online for everyone to access and staff will continue working during this time to provide educational experiences on social media,” according to Executive Director Amy Lent.
The museum has postponed to this fall its 2020 Symposium, which was due to be held April 4. Doing so prevents the attendees and speakers who were to have attended from having to travel across the country or world, the museum said in a statement.
The Chocolate Church Arts Center is rescheduling its three remaining March shows, and hopes to resume programming in a month, according to Executive Director William Lederer. For those who’ve purchased tickets, those tickets will be honored on the rescheduled dates. Those unable to attend that rescheduled date will be credited the ticket price toward any future Chocolate Church event.
The gallery and office remain open, and the Chocolate Church can be reached at 442-8455 or info@chocolatechurch.com.
The Sagadahoc County Courthouse and Administration Building closed to the public for 30 days, effective Tuesday. Essential services like E-911 dispatch and the Sheriff’s Department will continue, and most of the basic probate, emergency management agency, district attorney, deeds, administrative and civil services will be provided by telephone and email; staff can assist people through those methods during business hours. More information is available at sagcounty.com and 443-8200.
Brunswick
The town’s Parks & Recreation Center is closed through Friday, March 27, although administrative offices will stay open. No parks and recreation programs will be offered during that time.
Brunswick schools are closed at least until March 27, as are People Plus and Brunswick’s Visitor Center. Curtis Memorial Library is shuttered at least until March 31.
Along with having students finish their spring semester remotely, Bowdoin College is closing its Children’s Center effective Tuesday, March 17. Both the Bowdoin College Museum of Art and the Peary-MacMillan Arctic Museum are closed for the time being.
At Mid Coast Hospital, visiting hours are limited to between 10 a.m. and 8 p.m. seven days a week. There is a limit of one visitor per patient for both hospital and outpatient care. No visitors younger than 18 are allowed, since children can carry the virus without displaying symptoms. Every visitor will be screened upon arrival.
Harpswell Coastal Academy, with campuses in Brunswick and Harpswell, is closed until further notice.
Harpswell
Harpswell canceled most of the business portion of its Town Meeting on March 14. Town Hall is closed to public access until further notice, and residents are asked to conduct business remotely. Committees and boards aside from the Board of Selectmen will not be meeting until further notice.
School Administrative District 75, which serves Topsham, Harpswell, Bowdoin and Bowdoinham, has closed all schools until at least Friday, March 27.
Topsham
Town Hall is closed tentatively through Tuesday, March 31, with residents encouraged to conduct town business on the phone, via email, or at topshammaine.com. All scheduled meetings have been postponed.
Topsham Public Library is closed to the public until further notice; more information is available by calling 725-1627 or visiting topshamlibrary.org. Parks and recreation activities and programs have been postponed; more information is available at topshamparksrec.com or by calling 725-1726.
Normal operations continue at the public safety and solid waste facilities. But all recycling will be considered waste, and the cost of recyclables disposal will be waived.
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