The death toll from a coronavirus outbreak linked to a Maine wedding reception has risen to five, with more than 175 cases involving the event.
The latest deaths were reported at the Maplecrest Rehabilitation Center in Madison, where three previous deaths were also believed to have been linked to Aug Gustna’s reception.
About 70 miles north of Bangalore, about 65 people attended the reception at Milinacett’s Big Moose in Cabins and Campground.
According to the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention, the government’s Janet Mills executive order is limited to 50 indoor gatherings and 100 outdoor gatherings, and if space cannot accommodate five people per 1,000 people, the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention said.
A person who answered the phone on Tuesday at Big Moose Inn said they were not commenting.
None of the five people who died attended the wedding or the reception.
But among those who attended the event was an employee of the York County Jail, where cases were linked to the gathering, health officials said.
Health officials in Maine have also said that marriage and reception are linked to the spread of the virus at the Madison Rehabilitation Center.
And, the state is investigating whether the rupture in Calvary Baptist Church, whose pastor was employed at the wedding, is linked to the incident. The church is bound in at least 10 cases.
In a statement Tuesday, the church said several of its members were present at the wedding reception and defended its right to continue services.
“Calvary has a legal right to meet the Baptist Church. The right to assemble a local Christian church, synagogue or Muslim mosque for their respective religious services has been a time-honored part of our nation’s history since the beginning of the nation, “the statement said. “These religious activities are fully protected under the First Amendment to the Constitution of the United States.
There has been a steady increase in the number of cases arising from wedding receptions.
In August Gust, health officials said they had identified 18 people who tested positive for coronavirus after participating in the program. The state press release said that six other people who had close contact with the attendees also tested positive.
By the first week of September, about 150 cases and three deaths were linked to the incident.
State health officials did not immediately release details of the fifth death. MapleCrest Rehabilitation St. did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Associated Press Contributed.
