MAINE, USA — Editor’s note: You've probably heard the term ‘flattening the curve’ as a way to stem the tide of coronavirus cases. The above video explains what that means.
Mainers know too well how the coronavirus pandemic is impacting our state. Restaurants and businesses have been hurting for weeks and they've been doing all they can to make it out of these difficult times.
Things outside of business are also being affected. Sporting events, graduations, and weddings are all being canceled or postponed as the state slowly reopens.
Tourists flock to Maine ever year during wedding season to celebrate their big day but now those ceremonies and receptions are being postponed or canceled. No weddings mean no work for DJs like Chris Bouchard.
He had 34 weddings booked this season and said he's already lost 83 percent of his annual income.
“If things are slow to open in August and even get pushed into September it could easily be 100 percent of my income in 2020," Bouchard said.
After weeks of waiting, the self-employed Bouchard can now file for unemployment and receive aid from the Paycheck Protection Program.
“I’m thankful the programs are there, I just wish they had been done a little bit quicker," Bouchard added.
Katie Fioerlla’s wedding was postponed from this August to next. She and her fiancée Jon Calder chose Bouchard as their DJ because of is energy and personality.
“That’s obviously important when you have a DJ, they’re kind of front and center, besides me," Fioerlla said.
Even though the couple postponed their special day they won't have to wait a year to hear Bouchard play his favorite tunes.
Starting Friday and continuing every week through August, Bouchard will be hosting "COVID-19 Virtual Wedding Mixes."
“It’s a sense of normalcy on each side me doing stuff for brides and really the brides are doing something for me by taking requests and do what I love to do.," Bouchard said.
Bouchard added that the reason behind the virtual mixes was to keep things as normal as possible in a time of uncertainty and confusion.
“[I want to provide] a sense of normalcy whether it's for three minutes for their first dance that they can’t do this year or if they want to hang out for the full two hours.”
Each mix will be streamed on Facebook, Twitch, Youtube, and other streaming services. The weekly Friday mixes begin at 8 p.m.
At NEWS CENTER Maine, we're focusing our news coverage on the facts and not the fear around the illness. To see our full coverage, visit our coronavirus section, here: /coronavirus