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At least 53 cases of coronavirus have been traced to an Aug. 7 wedding and reception in Maine that violated attendance limits, state health officials said. A local hospital said on Friday that a person whose infection was linked to the event had died.
About 65 people attended the reception at the Big Moose Inn Cabins and Campground in Millinocket, about 70 miles north of Bangor, the Maine Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said. Maine Governor’s Executive Orders limit gatherings to 50 people indoors, 100 people outdoors, and fewer if the space cannot accommodate five people per 1,000 feet.
Of the 53 reception-related cases, 13 were secondary and 10 were tertiary, Maine CDC spokesperson Robert Long told NBC News. In other words, it spread to people who did not attend the wedding or reception, but had close contact with people who did.
The hostel did not immediately return a request for comment on Monday. He was cited for what has been called an imminent health hazard, which Long says carries no fines, but can lead to stiffer penalties if state officials again determine that the location has again broke health rules.
The outbreak has affected people aged 4 to 98, officials said.
The Maine CDC is advising anyone who attended an event at the hostel on August 7 and is showing symptoms of COVID-19, the illness caused by the coronavirus, to contact their health care provider.
In a statement on Friday, Millinocket Regional Hospital CEO Robert Peterson said a patient linked to the reception had died. The statement did not identify the patient.
“Our thoughts and sympathies are with her family as they deal with this difficult loss,” he said.
The hospital tested 366 people who attended the reception or came into contact with those who did, Peterson said.
All positive patients have been notified, received care instructions and have been asked to self-quarantine, the hospital said. Due to the epidemic, the hospital is closed to visitors.
The Maine CDC noted that social gatherings – such as weddings and receptions – pose a high risk of transmitting the virus.
“The possibility of transmission of COVID-19 increases as the number of participants increases, even when some participants are indoors and others outside,” he said in a statement. others, increasing the possibility of transmission of COVID-19. “
Indoor gatherings pose an additional risk compared to outdoor gatherings, due to the challenges of social distancing and proper ventilation, the Maine CDC said.
More than a dozen guests who attended a June 20 wedding at The Woodlands, Texas, about an hour outside of Houston, tested positive for the coronavirus a few days later, reported the New York Times this month.
In recent months, concerns about the spread of the coronavirus at large gatherings have prompted many couples to cancel or postpone their weddings.
There were at least 4,356 cases of the coronavirus in Maine on Monday, with 131 deaths, according to state health data.
People who attend social gatherings should wear masks other than when eating or drinking, the Maine CDC said.
The investigation into the reception at the Big Moose Inn is ongoing, health officials said.
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