Coronavirus deaths associated with indoor wedding reception in Maine, three confirmed by authorities

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FILE-Dr. Nirav D. Shah, Director of Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Maine, will speak at a press conference on COVID-19 at the Main Emergency Management Authority in Augusta. (Staff photo: Derek Davis / Portland Press Herald via Getty Images)

Millinocket, Maine – The Maine Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confirmed three dead and 147 coronavirus-positive cases in connection with an indoor wedding reception at the Big Moose Inn in Millinocket on August 7.

About 110 people participated in the wedding reception on August 7th, exceeding the seating limit of 80 people that was licensed.

August 21, Millinocket Regional Hospital Said He added that the death of one female inpatient related to the incident, which was due to a non-visit policy that occurred by 30 August, and an outbreak of limited basic medical services. It was.

Health authorities suspended the inn license on August 26. WMTW TV-8.

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A TV outlet revealed that due to the license suspension, face masks were not worn, social distances were not maintained, and tables in certain areas were not 6 feet apart.

Even though the license has been revoked Maine According to local reports, the Ministry of Health and Welfare restored the inn’s business license on August 28.

Laurie Cormier, owner of the Big Moose Inn, said the state’s medical institutions are required to limit the number of guests to 80, but split the total number of participants into separate rooms. He said he has allowed it.

“We understand that the largest room can have no more than 50 people. We made a mistake in interpreting that rule. Our interpretation was to have a wedding party of over 50 people. There is a limit on the number of rooms, as long as the total capacity or the capacity of a particular room was such that two people could divide them.”

The hotel also provides signage to keep guests informed that a face mask is always needed and that companies are strengthening their disinfection and safety measures prior to the event.

“All the wedding attendees were screened before they entered, which ensured that no one at the Big Moose Inn had any symptoms on the weekend,” she added.

She confirmed that two employees had wait-tested for the virus after the wedding, while 23 employees had self-quarantine and five staff members tested negatively. did.

Robert Long, a CDC spokesman in Maine, told FOX News last week that the 32 early infections were likely to be major cases, or people who actually attended a wedding. On the other hand, 33 cases were secondary cases and 20 cases were tertiary cases (persons who had close contact with attendees or secondary cases, respectively).

By stream press briefing On August 25, Dr. Nirav Shah, director of the main CDC, described the outbreak as “a series of concentric rings…all from this August 7 event.”

One of those rings was an outbreak at the Maple Crestle Rehabilitation & Living Center in Madison, Maine, he said.

Mr. Shah said the outbreak of coronavirus reached the nursing home as a wedding guest infected his parents and his parents infected children working in the nursing home.

According to Shah, within two and a half weeks, four people and another staff member were infected.

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With the exception of nursing homes, the outbreak of the wedding virus spread to county prisons about 230 miles away.

“This morning, our sick detectives identified a relationship between a wedding reception in Millinocket and the York County prison facility,” Shah said at a streaming press conference on August 25.

Sher explained, “among the first confirmed cases in prison,” prison officials attended the wedding.

The Shah added that the outbreak was a prime example “indicating how aggressive and opportunistic the virus is.”

Read all the statements of Laurie Cormier, the owner of Big Moose.

FOX News contributed to this story. This story was reported by Los Angeles.