Public health officials are investigating a full-blown wedding in a Maine hotel that led to an outbreak of COVID-19 that infected at least two dozen people.
The Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention said about 65 guests attended the Aug. 7 reception at Big Moose Inn in Millinocket.
As of Monday, 18 people attending the event and six others who had close contact with attendees tested positive for COVID-19, according to the Maine CDC. All 24 of those confirmed cases are residents of Maine, officials said.
“Maine CDC continues to conduct case investigations and traces of contacts for guests, staff and people who potentially came into close contact with confirmed cases during and after the event,” officials said in a statement. “Anyone who attended an event at the Big Moose Inn on August 7, 2020, and who has symptoms of COVID-19, should call their health care provider before seeking medical attention.”
Maine CDC officials said they had contacted Big Moose Inn staff to find out more about the nature of the incident and whether anyone had a violation of state requirements that were in place to stop the spread of the coronavirus. occur.
Maine currently limits indoor meetings to 50 people, and outdoor meetings are limited to 100, with no more than five people per 1,000 square feet.
Millinocket, based in Penobscot County, has a population of 4,506 people and counts itself as “the largest small town in Maine” and the gateway to Mount Katahdin and Baxter State Park. Big Moose Inn offers suites, a campground, a restaurant and cottages on Millinocket Lake.
A phone call to the inn was not immediately returned.
One person linked to the outbreak was treated at Millinocket Regional Hospital, Drs. Robert Peterson, the hospital’s chief executive, said in a statement Wednesday.
The hospital tested more than 300 people, Peterson said, and of the 28 infections it reported, the CDC found that 24 were “definitely linked to the reception.” About 190 tests are pending, with results expected Thursday, Peterson said.
Peterson said the hospital is preparing “for the second tier of potential positive patients as we approach the 14-day mark since the event.”
Emily Sweeney can be reached at [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter @emilysweeney. Nick Stoico can be reached at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @NickStoico.
