BANGOR, Maine — Editor's note: You are starting to hear the term 'flattening the curve' as a way to stem the tide of coronavirus cases. The above video explains what that means.
Sunday was scheduled to be the last games of March Madness before the Sweet-16. Basketball on TV all day, bars and restaurants packed with fans, and playgrounds filled as kids and parents enjoy the last day of the weekend.
But the spread of the coronavirus, or COVID-19 has seriously impacted our weekends. All NCAA tournament games, and all sports in the country for that matter, have been canceled or postponed.
In Maine, all restaurants and bars aren't serving customers inside. Delivery or curbside pickup is the only way to go.
As our weekend routine was forced to change some Bangor residents are still keeping busy. In downtown, cars are stopping for curbside pickup orders for food and books.
Gibran Graham owns the Briar Patch. He's keeping his business open with certain precautions.
“We are also doing curbside pick up, that's been very popular. People are calling in, placing orders, looking for recommendations, not just books for general reading but really for educational use too," Grahm said.
The Briar Patch is also offering deliveries of orders more than $20 and online storytime via Facebook live a few times a week.
Many small businesses are forced to close their doors for weeks and Graham added that times like these are crucial to continue to support local business.
"(These programs) are geared to helping to support local which is really important to support all local businesses as much as we can during this time," Graham added.
Over on the Treet Streets, parents are coming up with new ways to keep themselves and their kids occupied as schools remain closed.
In a Facebook group, an idea emerged and encouraged people to leave teddy bears in their windows or positioned outside their homes so kids can walk around their neighborhoods and count as many bears as possible.
“It gives them something to look forward to, instead of just walking to the park it gives them an activity to do," parent Jessica Cyr said.
Cyr added that parents in the Bangor community are working together to keep everyone entertained during these unprecedented times.
“It’s amazing we can come together and feed off each other and we can get through this together," Cyr added.
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
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