GARDNER, MASS. (WHDH) - A hotel in Massachusetts has been cited for hosting a pair of large weddings that exceeded the maximum allowable guests under current COVID-19 guidelines, according to health officials.
The Gardner Health Department said Thursday that it received “several complaints” about the size of a recent wedding at the Colonial Hotel before the event was held.
After the Department of Labor Standards received similar complaints, the health department said it issued a formal written warning to the hotel, along with a copy of the Gov. Charlie Baker’s guidelines on acceptable gathering sizes during the coronavirus pandemic.
Current guidance instructs people to limit indoor gatherings to 25 people, and a maximum of 100 people for outdoor events.
The hotel reportedly assured the health department that it “would adhere to the guidelines to the best of their ability.”
Following the wedding, several guests filed complaints alleging the hotel exceeded the maximum allowable guests in an outdoor space.
The hotel then held another wedding the following day that again violated the 100-person limit for outdoor events, according to the department.
“The City has not received a formal, written complaint regarding the bar, dance floor, or mask violations at this time,” the department said in a statement. “If we receive other complaints, we will certainly investigate those as they come in.”
The department has since issued a civil citation with a fine of $300 for each wedding.
Baker said last week that the state is investigating a number of gatherings and illegal events that are tied to new clusters of COVID-19 cases.
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