Engaging in outdoor exercise, such as fishing, hunting, hiking, boating, walking, running, are permitted activities under the executive order issued by Gov. Mills, as long as people continue to follow social distancing guidelines.

BROWNVILLE — Brownville Community Church, beginning on Easter, will ring its church bell at noon every day to call the people to pause and take a moment to pray for the end of the virus and to restore the health of the people afflicted with the disease.

With the order set to last through April 30, here’s what you can (and can’t) do while that is in place.

With 9,053 coronavirus deaths as of the start of April, Spain trailed only nearby Italy among nations with the most fatalities stemming from the current global pandemic. That grim reality leaves 14-year-old Lucia De Villota uneasy.

Here’s a fun fact you might not know. Your “freedom of association” is not guaranteed specifically by name in the First Amendment. Don't believe me? Read it again.

When Maine’s recent stay at home order goes into effect on Thursday, there are many things you cannot do, such as have friends over or go for a ride with your neighbor. But there are some “essential activities” you can continue to do in the pursuit of health. Namely, outdoor activities including fishing and hiking are allowed.

State governments around the country have reacted differently to the COVID-19 pandemic and the threat it poses to people and to the economy. Many states -- Maine included -- took quick and decisive action to help stop the spread of the disease and to help people upended by job loss and financial instability caused by required physical distancing.

The crisp connection between bat and ball was one of the chief selling points for a Shirley company as it returned to spring training sites in Florida and Arizona to market their bats to major- and minor-league baseball players. By all accounts Dove Tail Bats was having its share of success as one of approximately 35 bat makers certified by Major League Baseball.

As many Mainers struggle to figure out how to work from home and adhere to social distancing guidelines while still getting their jobs done, the state's wildlife biologists have largely been able to complete field research projects with only slight adjustments, according to the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife's wildlife division director.

Warning that “more people will die,” Gov. Janet Mills on Tuesday ordered Mainers to stay home except to shop for necessities or to go to jobs deemed essential through April, putting Maine among a majority of states to take similar action to fight the coronavirus.