The Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention is investigating outbreaks of COVID-19 at three workplaces in the Portland area and a pending outbreak at the Cumberland County Jail, the Director of the CDC of Maine announced Thursday. Dr. Nirav Shah.
He said the agency is investigating outbreaks at clothing manufacturer American Roots and Corsetti’s restaurant, both in Westbrook, and at a Goodwill Northern New England warehouse in Gorham.
American Roots and Corsetti are temporarily closed, and a Goodwill Northern New England spokesperson told Mainebiz by email on Friday that the organization had reopened its facilities this morning after a “deep clean and disinfection.”
The largest reported outbreak is at American Roots, where 11 of 107 employees have tested positive for COVID-19.
On Thursday, Shah said his agency has been working closely with American Roots to conduct tests, a round of which had already been conducted by the company, while a second round is scheduled for next Tuesday.
He also said that his agency had worked with the company to complete the screening of preliminary employee contacts and the nature of any interactions they may have had within the workplace, and that resources exist for those who need support during the self-quarantine.
“I would like to congratulate the American Roots leadership for being proactive in this situation,” Shah said in the televised briefing on Thursday, noting that the company had organized universal tests of all employees even before its agency’s investigation.
“Because they were proactive, sooner rather than later, we now have the information we need to conduct a full investigation and respond to the needs of infected employees and their families.”
Shah noted that American Roots has closed its factory three times for a deep cleanup during the pandemic.
American Roots, a clothing and blanket maker that has been producing face masks and face shields during the pandemic, is led by founders Ben Waxman and Whitney Reynolds.
Courtesy / American roots
Ben Waxman and Whitney Reynolds, photographed at the factory inside the Dana Warp Mill in Westbrook in May.
They announced Thursday that the factory is closed for extensive cleaning and disinfection and will reopen on the recommendation of the Maine CDC.
Waxman and Reynolds said in a statement that when the factory reopens, shipping protocols will be “strictly followed” in accordance with CDC guidelines, with all products inspected, packaged and sealed before being packaged and shipped to customers.
“As you can imagine, the situation is affecting us all, especially our team members who have been directly affected by this virus,” said Waxman and Reynolds. “We count on them day after day, and we want them to know that they can count on us, even when times are tough.”
As for the other case businesses, Dr. Shah said Corsetti’s management has voluntarily closed the restaurant where three employees have tested positive for COVID-19, and that the Maine CDC has recommended that all employees be screened.
In a statement on his website, Corsetti said he decided to temporarily close as a precaution after a staff member tested positive for COVID-19, although the state did not require the restaurant to do so. “Above all, we value the health of our community. During this shutdown, we will be completely disinfecting, and staff members who have had exposure will be evaluated,” the restaurant said.
Corsetti’s has been in business since 1974.
In a statement released online Thursday, Goodwill confirmed that he had four positive cases of coronavirus over a two-week period in Gorham, with three employees approved to return to work and the fourth quarantine at home and in good repair. People are not in positions that interact with the public and have very limited interaction with our other staff members, he said.
“During the COVID-19 pandemic, our top priority is to keep our team members and our clients safe,” Goodwill said in his statement. “We have implemented CDC and state-recommended protocols, including, but not limited to, safe social distancing, PPE use, frequent disinfection, and pre-job employee evaluations. This has been our policy since the start of the pandemic. COVID-19 and we will continue to follow the guidelines established by the states where we operate. “
Shah said Thursday that his agency will work with the nonprofit to determine where the broadcast occurred.
Regarding the investigation at the Cumberland County Jail in Portland, Shah said serial rounds of new tests were underway as the state is also reviewing infection control practices at that facility.
Updating the case count
Shah said the 11 cases of COVID-19 at American Roots were not reflected in Thursday’s numbers, showing that Maine has had a total of 3,598 cases of COVID-19 since the March outbreak, an increase of 20 cases from on Wednesday.
Of that total, 3,207 were confirmed as positive and 391 are probable. Maine has also recorded 114 deaths from COVID-19 and 374 hospitalizations.
Among the 13 people currently hospitalized in Maine, 11 are in intensive care units and four are on ventilators. A total of 3,094 individuals have recovered.
During Thursday’s briefing, Shah noted that 844 cases of COVID-19 in Maine had been among health workers.
Shah said that while Maine is doing well compared to many other states, that could change “if we let our guard down,” and that asking out-of-state people to get tested before coming to Maine “is really essential. “
