Maine Wedding That Violated Covid-19 Restrictions Tied to 3 Deaths, 147 Cases

By Kurt Stolz on 5 September 2020
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An indoor wedding in Maine that violated local coronavirus-related ordinances on capacity is now responsible for at least three deaths and almost 150 coronavirus infections, according to the state’s Center for Disease Control and Prevention.

While the Maine governor’s executive orders limit gatherings to 50 people indoors, 100 people outdoors, and fewer if the space cannot accommodate five people per 1,000’ (335 m), the number of guests at the wedding on August 7 at the Big Moose Inn Cabins and Campground was at least 65.  The Inn is located in in Millinocket, approximately 70 miles (112 kilometers) north of Bangor.

The attendees crowded into the restaurant and the overflow spilled into the small lobby. There was little if any social distancing and no one was wearing a face mask.

The number of cases grew prodigiously.  At the end of August, there were 53 connected to the event, and just one week later there were 134.  Now there are at least 147 and the number continues to grow.  The coronavirus cases spread as far as the York County jail in Alfred and a nursing home in Madson, both in York County, over 200 miles (322 kilometers) away from the Inn.

It was“a series of concentric rings that get built out, all emanating from this one Aug. 7 event,“ said Maine CDC Director Nirav Shah to reporters.

Only one of the three people who died as a result of the wedding has been identified by Maine health officials.  That person was Theresa Dentremont, 88, who died on August 21.

(Photo: Accura Media Group)

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