COVID-19 outbreak in Millinocket, Maine, USA associated with a wedding reception!
- Is it the high transmissibility of the COVID-19 virus or is it the hastiness and carelessness of the people or is it both?
- Recently, there has been an outbreak of COVID-19 in Millinocket in the US state of Maine which is linked to a wedding reception.
- 24 people who attended the wedding have tested positive for the deadly virus!
What was the cause of this COVID-19 outbreak?
COVID-19 outbreak with a wedding reception in Maine
Weddings are a great part of any relationship for the couples as well as their friends and family members. But it is sad when these weddings become a venue for the spread of some diseases.
And the same happened when people attended a wedding reception at Big Moose Inn in Millinocket, Maine, the USA on 7 August 2020- a COVID-19 outbreak!
18 of these people who are positive for the virus attended the wedding and the remaining 6 are those who came in close contact with the wedding reception attendees.
But it is not clear whether the bride and bridegroom also tested positive for the virus. Additionally, all these confirmed cases are residents of Maine. There were in total 65 guests at the wedding.
CDC of Maine to investigate the outbreak
The Maine CDC is looking into the root cause of this outbreak. What exactly went wrong that spread the virus and who was the person who spread it?
Besides, they also want to do contact tracing and see who all came in contact with these people who tested positive. Because these people would be isolated and tested for COVID-19.
An outbreak of a disease is said to have occurred if there are three or more cases of that disease that are epidemiologically linked together.
On 17 August, Maine CDC announced that anyone who attended an event at Big Moose Inn held on 7 August 2020 and who has any symptoms of COVID-19 should immediately get in touch with their health care provider.
The common symptoms of COVID-19 are fever, cough, difficulty in breathing, body aches, and fatigue.
Prevention of an outbreak
In order to prevent the spread of COVID-19, these guidelines should be adhered to during any event.
- The number of attendees should be limited as per the directives of the Governor. There should not be more than 50 people in a shared place at one time. Outdoors, 100 people are allowed to gather. There should be 5 people per 1000 sq. feet. If the space is small, lesser people should be invited for the said event.
- Better to break up gatherings into smaller groups.
- Physical distancing should be done at all times. A 6 feet distance is a must between two persons.
- Face coverings and masks should be worn at all times except during eating.
- Hand hygiene should be followed at all times. Best to have one’s own sanitizers and use them when needed.
- Try to keep safety as a priority over fun.
- Best to postpone weddings until a better time arrives or go virtual with the weddings.
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Posted on: Wednesday, June 14 2017
