The state has now revoked the license of the inn on Millinocket Lake that holds a wedding reception on Aug. 7, linked to a COVID-19 outbreak that has spread to at least 87 people.
Last week, the state issued a “threatening health hazard” quote to the Big Moose Inn for hosting the reception, which was attended by about 65 people, despite a state restriction limiting internal associations to 50 people. The quote was an official statement that the hostel had one or more health care rules in conflict, and it asked the hostel’s operators to comply in advance.
But after a recent inspection found that the inn still meant infringing on violations to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, the state temporarily suspended its license, according to Jeanne Lambrew, commissioner of the Maine Department of Health and Human Services.
Representatives from Maine DHHS have also advised the company on how it can return in accordance with state rules, Lambrew said. The suspension is valid for 30 days, unless revoked by the state as amended by a court decision.
On Wednesday, the state issued the temporary suspension after finding that dining room tables were still less than six feet apart and that employees did not wear face masks or maintain good social distance, according to a copy of the note.
A state inspector also found that the company did not have proper documentation indicating that guests were following the travel restrictions of the state, intended to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.
To help the state enforce its rules that require many out-of-state visitors to quarantine for two weeks in one place or present evidence that they have recently tested negative for COVID-19, enterprise companies are required to collect official state certificates, called a ” Certificate of Compliance “, shows that guests follow the rules as a condition of their stay, according to a June 7 order from Government Janet Mills.
Located just outside Baxter State Park, The Big Moose Inn includes rooms, a restaurant, cabins and a campground.
A woman who answered the phone there Thursday afternoon called the temporary suspension “really ridiculous”, but refused to give her name as a job title.
The employee, who said she could not stay on the phone for long because she still needed a call, said the company also canceled guests’ reservations for Thursday night and refunded their fees.
Last week, Maine DHHS found that the local had exceeded the number of people allowed in it, failed to guarantee a distance of six meters between customers and staff, and could not ask customers for their contact information in case of an outbreak, according to a copy of the original quote the inn received last week.
State members have now linked the outbreak of the marriage and reception on Aug. 7 to minor incidents at a Madison Rehabilitation Center and the York County Jail. One woman who did not attend the wedding but became infected as part of the outbreak has died.
Investigators have now found nine cases of COVID-19 at Maplecrest Rehabilitation and Living Center in Madison, including five among residents and four among staff. They attributed that outbreak to a guest of the wedding who caught the disease and passed it on to a parent, who then passed it on to another one of their children who worked in the rehabilitation center.
There are now 18 confirmed cases at the York County Jail, among seven inmates, nine prison staff and two other county employees working in the same building. One of the first employees to test positive in that outbreak was a guest at the August 7 wedding.
