Kittery shipyard linked to at least 17 COVID cases
Courtesy / Portsmouth Naval Shipyard
Portsmouth Naval Shipyard, the largest employer in Kittery, has been linked to at least 17 cases of COVID-19.
Portsmouth Naval Shipyard is the site of Maine’s most recent COVID outbreak, with at least 17 cases linked to the Kittery facility, the state Center for Disease Control and Prevention announced Thursday afternoon.
Shipyard workers comprise 15 of the individuals with confirmed exposure to the disease, CDC Director Dr. Nirav Shah said in a regular briefing. Two individuals are close household contacts of workers, and it’s not clear if an 18th person who tested positive for COVID is connected to the outbreak or not, he added.
Of the total who tested positive, 13 affected individuals are Maine residents, four live in New Hampshire and one is from Massachusetts.
Among the affected Mainers, seven commuted regularly together in a van between the shipyard and Sanford, according to Shah.
A shipyard spokesman said in a statement that the van riders “did not wear cloth face masks while commuting to and from work.”
The CDC is continuing its investigation.
“As we continue more testing in partnership with the shipyard, we’ll have a better picture of what’s going on,” Shah said.
Sanford is the site of several active COVID outbreak investigations, including one linked to a wedding held Aug. 7 in Millinocket. As of Thursday, that outbreak included 177 cases and seven deaths statewide.
Portsmouth Naval Shipyard, a sprawling, 300-acre complex on islands in the Piscataqua River, last year employed 8,200 civilians as well as military personnel. Among the 4,500 Maine workers, the greatest number, 523, resided in the Sanford-Springvale area.
In addition, Shah on Thursday reported an outbreak of three COVID cases at the Sanford headquarters of the Baker Co., a manufacturer of biological contamination control equipment.
Four employees of Buffalo Wild Wings in Auburn have also tested positive for the disease, he said. The individuals are now quarantining and the restaurant is closed for cleaning.
With the 25 new reports of COVID infection, Maine's cumulative number of cases climbed to 4,962 on Thursday. No additional deaths were reported.
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