Bangor pizzeria closes temporarily after COVID case, as civil emergency enters 7th month

Courtesy / Portland Pie Co. Portland Pie Co. operates eight pizzerias in Maine, and has closed the Bangor location after an employee tested positive for COVID-19.

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By William Hall

As Maine renewed its civil state of emergency for the sixth time on Wednesday afternoon, a Bangor pizza shop shut down temporarily in response to an employee testing positive for exposure to COVID-19.

The Portland Pie Co. at 89-91 Main St. in downtown Bangor will be closed until further notice, according to a post on the pizzeria’s Facebook page.

The eatery has contacted the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention and plans to begin testing of other employees and to conduct a deep cleaning, the post said.

“We are hopeful that due to our rigorous protocols and procedures that have been in place for the past several months — physical distancing, wearing of masks at all times, increased cleaning and sanitization — that we have been able to minimize any exposure to guests and staff.”

In addition to the Bangor restaurant, Portland Pie operates ones in seven other Maine locations. The company was founded in 1997 and is headquartered in South Portland.

Also on Wednesday, Gov. Janet Mills extended Maine’s civil state of emergency for another month. The proclamation, which can only be made in 30-day increments, allows Maine to draw down certain federal funds and deploy other resources in response to the pandemic.

The extension is in line with nearly every other U.S. state that has issued emergency declarations, according to the National Governors Association. New Hampshire renewed its state of emergency for the eighth time last Friday.

“The outbreaks which we hear about in other states every day can sometimes feel far away from the relative safety of our state, but recent events prove that one little match can spark a fire that may be very difficult to put out,” Mills said in a statement.

The rate of COVID-19 infection in Maine remains one of the lowest in the country.

As of Wednesday afternoon, a total of 4,567 COVID cases had been reported in the state, including 26 new cases that day. A total of 133 Mainers have died of the disease.