Eleven test positive at CRH site; Calais city building closed

The Calais Regional Hospital posted on October 25 that 11 new positive COVID-19 tests have been confirmed by the hospital's swab and send testing site in the past week, with Washington County having 21 active cases, as of October 25.
On October 21 at about 11 a.m., the City of Calais posted a notice on its Facebook page stating that the city building is closed until further notice, as a city employee has tested positive for COVID-19. The employee has not been in the city building since October 16. The notice also stated that the city council meeting scheduled for October 22 has been cancelled. Efforts to reach city staff for further comment have been unsuccessful.
In addition, the Calais School Department announced on October 26 that there have been two positive cases at the elementary school, which will now only offer virtual classes through November 8.
In its posting, the hospital states, "With this new positive exposure in our area, we urge everyone to remain calm and not panic. Transmission within our community can be contained. We encourage everyone to remain vigilant to the practices of wearing a mask, washing hands often, social distancing, staying home with symptoms and self isolation to curb the potential spread of the virus and keep people healthy."
No additional information was available on others possibly exposed or when the city council will resume meetings either in person or via remote access.
The latest cases follow an outbreak related to the Woodland Pulp mill that led to 19 people testing positive, including four from Washington County. The others were contractors, mostly from out of state.
According to the Maine Center for Disease Control, there have been 44 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Washington County, with 38 confirmed and six probable, as of October 25. A total of 21 cases are active, with 23 having recovered. Following the outbreak related to the Woodland mill, there had been 20 confirmed cases in the county, with six being active, as of October 7.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, individuals who should get tested for COVID-19 are people who have symptoms; people who have had close contact -- within six feet for at least 15 minutes -- with a confirmed case; or those referred by a healthcare provider or state health department. Testing is available at the CRH swab and send testing site from 8 to 10 a.m. Monday through Friday.