Nearly half of the 65 people who attended an early August wedding in the Millinocket area have tested positive for COVID-19.
The Maine Center for Disease Control (CDC) announced Thursday that there are currently 32 cases associated with the wedding. The state has also issued a health citation to the reception venue, Big Moose Inn.
Of the 32 cases linked to the outbreak, 26 are confirmed and six are probable. Maine CDC director, Dr. Nirav Shah, says five of the cases involve residents of Somerset County, and the rest are from Penobscot County.
"The median age of confirmed cases thus far is 42 years, with a range of those who have tested positive spanning age four all the way up to age 78."
Seven cases are among children under the age of 18. Shah says it was the day after the August 7 wedding that a guest first developed symptoms. Most others reported an onset of symptoms four days after the event.
The state has issued an imminent health hazard citation to the Big Moose Inn on Millinocket Lake for exceeding the state's indoor gathering limit of 50 people. Shah says the Inn's owners have agreed to comply with the issues cited.
"There is no immediate financial penalty associated with it. If there's further evidence of noncompliance, that's when financial penalties start coming in. If we get to that point."
Shah says the state is still determining whether the site of the wedding ceremony, the Tri Town Baptist Church in East Millinocket, also exceeded rules on indoor gatherings.
