Vows weren't the only thing exchanged at a recent marriage in Maine.
Over two dozen people connected to the reception have contracted coronavirus, and state health officials are investigating the collecting.
Eighteen of those infected were at the reception, and others had intimate contact with those who attended the bureau stated. While all people who tested positive were residents of Maine, it wasn't clear whether any of the guests had come from out of state.
The cost is still climbing, as Millinocket Regional Hospital has verified that 28 individuals linked to the occasion have tested positive, WABI-TV reported. More instances are inevitable since testing is still continuing and some results are still pending, WABI explained.
"Maine CDC has been conduct case investigations and contact tracing for guests, employees and individuals who possibly came in close contact with confirmed cases throughout and after case," the state agency said, noting that an outbreak is declared when three or more cases could be connected to the same source.
The analysis includes obtaining more info from Big Moose Inn "about the essence of the occasion and adherence to State requirements," the Maine CDC explained. "Those who attend social gatherings should follow physical distancing guidelines including wearing cloth face coverings if not eating and maintaining a distance of 6 feet between individuals and 6 feet between household groups as far as you can."
An executive order from Gov. Janet Mills forbids gatherings of over 50 people inside and 100 people outdoors, or a max of five people per 1,000 feet. Masks are also compulsory.
Millinocket Town Manager John Davis said Monday that concern was high enough to justify closing town hall and neighborhood colleges as a precaution.
Past outbreaks in the state have been tied to offices or congregant care settings, Maine CDC spokesman Robert Long told AP on Monday. This is the initial outbreak attached to a specific social occasion.
"Right now, we do not know if the outbreak originated in the Big Moose Inn or if there might have been additional websites of transmission at other points throughout the assembly," Maine CDC director Dr. Nirav Shah said at a news conference Tuesday, according to CNN. "What we know today is that the reception that happened there on August 7 was a linking point and that there may have been other sources of transmission along with the reception at Big Moose Inn."
The information comes as the World Health Organization announced that the outbreak is being driven by men and women in their 20s, 30s and 40s that are unwittingly spreading it as they become infected in larger numbers without understanding it.