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Woman dies of COVID-19 after being infected by guest who attended a wedding in Maine – Daily Mail

By admin

Posted on August 24, 2020

8 min read

Woman dies after catching covid from guest returning from a wedding in Maine where 53 got infected

The unidentified person did not attend the August 7 reception in Millinocket
But she died Friday after coming into contact with someone who did
About 65 people attended the reception at the Big Moose Inn; state limit is 50
Almost half of the cases connected to the event are people who did not attend

By Lauren Fruen For Dailymail.com

Published: 15:31 BST, 24 August 2020 | Updated: 18:27 BST, 24 August 2020

A woman has died of COVID-19 after being infected by a guest who attended a wedding in Maine that caused a cluster of 53 infections.

The unidentified person did not attend the August 7 reception in Millinocket but died Friday after coming into contact with someone who did.

About 65 people attended the indoor event at the Big Moose Inn, according to Maine Center for Disease Control (CDC) spokesman Robert Long. The state’s limit on social gatherings is 50 people.

Those infected range in age from four to 78-years-old. Around 13 per cent of this infected are asymptomatic. Almost half of the cases thought to have come from the wedding are people who did not attend.

A woman has died of COVID-19 after being infected by someone who attended a wedding at this venue in Maine that caused a cluster of 53 infections

About 65 people attended the indoor event on August 7 at the Big Moose Inn, according to Maine Center for Disease Control (CDC) spokesman Robert Long

The initial number of cases reported stood at 24 but officials at the Millinocket Regional Hospital said the case number was expected to rise as testing continues and pending test results are reported.

It was the first outbreak tied to a specific social event in Maine, where most previous outbreaks have been tied to workplaces or congregant care settings, Long said Monday.

The Big Moose Inn was issued with an imminent health hazard citation, Maine CDC Director Dr. Nirav Shah said Thursday. The Tri-Town Baptist Church in East Millinocket is understood to have held the wedding ceremony.

Court order blocks New York couple’s 175-person wedding

A New York couple’s big wedding is off — at least for now — after an 11th-hour court order in a fight between couples and the state over a 50-person limit on social gatherings amid the coronavirus pandemic.

A federal appellate judge in Manhattan on Friday granted a state request that effectively blocks Pamella Giglia and Joe Durolek from having the 175-person celebration they planned Saturday at a Buffalo-area golf club.

One of the couple’s lawyers, Phillip Oswald, noted the order came after lengthy court hearings and lower court rulings in the duo’s favor.

The couple’s lawyers said Durolek and Giglia were postponing their wedding.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s office has not released guidance specific to weddings, but has said they are subject to the 50-person cap on social gatherings.

Giglia, Durolek and another couple sued this summer, saying it was unfair to restrict attendance to 50 at weddings — as religious ceremonies — when some restaurants could have more people.

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The Maine CDC said in a statement: ‘Social gatherings such as weddings and receptions pose an elevated risk for virus transmission.’

‘The possibility of COVID-19 transmission increases as the number of attendees increases, even when some attendees are indoors and others are outdoors.

‘This is because outdoor attendees may reasonably be expected to come indoors and interact with others, increasing the possibility of COVID-19 transmission.

‘Indoor gatherings pose extra risk compared to outdoor gatherings, given the challenges of ensuring adequate physical distancing and ventilation.’

The governor’s executive orders put in place during the global pandemic limit indoor gatherings to 50 people if there’s adequate space, while 100 people are allowed at outdoor events.

Attendees should also follow physical distancing guidelines and wear masks while not eating.

The orders also allow for a fine of up to $10,000, the governor’s spokeswoman said.

In Maine, more than 4,000 people have contracted the virus. The number of deaths stands at 131, the Maine CDC said.

There are more than 5.7 million coronavirus cases in the US with 176,801 deaths.

The Maine CDC was communicating with Big Moose Inn about the nature of the event and adherence to state requirements.

Millinocket Town Manager John Davis said last Monday that he didn’t have all the details about the outbreak, but said there was enough concern to close town hall and local schools as a precaution.

‘We didn’t want to take any chances,’ he said.