A rural wedding led to dozens of coronavirus cases. Officials see it as a cautionary tale. - The Washington Post

Maine CDC Director Nirav Shah described it as “a series of concentric rings that get built out, all emanating from this one Aug. 7 event.”The wedding outbreak is especially resonant in America’s rural communities, where gatherings are a lifeline and where, some public health experts fear, the lack of significant virus transmission may have lulled residents into a false sense of complacency. “It’s hard when you can’t trust people,” she added, “especially because rural communities are so tightly knit — and based on trust and relationships.”The account of the fateful wedding day emerges from state health records and state officials, as well as from an interview with a guest at the inn and a statement from Big Moose.State officials are still investigating what unfolded, but they issued an “imminent health hazard” citation on Aug. 20 to the Big Moose Inn. The citation faulted the venue on three counts: allowing too many people to congregate, failing to implement measures to maintain six feet of distance between them and neglecting to get contact information about wedding guests.In the statement, the operators of Big Moose acknowledged they “did make an error in the interpretation” of the rules governing capacity. The inn’s staff, the statement said, has “worked hard to follow all of the rules to the best of our understanding since we opened for the season on May 22,” and employees wear masks and have increased cleaning.“While we cannot be sure the virus was fully spread at our facility, we know that there are things that we can be doing better,” the inn’s statement said.“Our hearts go out to the family, those affected by the virus who were at the wedding, and those who have been impacted since then,” the statement said.Rich Zaker, who said he was staying at the inn Aug. 7, was alarmed at the sight of the wedding party.“The big thing we noticed was that everybody was close together and there were no masks,” Zaker said.