Marriott Long Wharf Hotel Linked To 77 Massachusetts Coronavirus Cases Shut Down
BOSTON (CBS/AP) – Marriott Long Wharf hotel in Boston was shut down on Thursday. The downtown Boston hotel was the host of a Biogen employee conference that led to a cluster of coronavirus cases in the area.
A reopening date has not yet been determined.
"In consultation with the Boston Public Health Commission, we have made the mutual decision to close the hotel today," a hotel spokesman said. "This decision comes as a result of new information and is made in the interest of public health. We appreciate and support the efforts of our public health authorities as they continue their important work to mitigate potential spread of the novel coronavirus. The safety and well-being of our guests is of paramount importance to us."
Of the 95 coronavirus cases in Massachusetts, 77 have been linked to the Biogen conference that took place at the hotel.
The company, which has about 7,500 employees globally, said Friday it has asked employees who attended the meeting to quarantine themselves. It has also directed office-based workers in Massachusetts; Research Triangle Park, North Carolina; and Baar, Switzerland, to work from home, though manufacturing activities are continuing, Caouette said.
An additional 12 people who have tested positive for the virus outside Massachusetts have been linked to the Feb. 26-27 meeting, including five in North Carolina, two in Indiana, and one each in New Jersey, Tennessee and Washington, D.C., officials said. Two tested positive in Europe, Biogen spokesman David Caouette said Wednesday.
Cambridge-based Biogen develops therapies for neurological diseases.
The Boston conference gathered roughly 175 company executives for two days.
(© Copyright 2020 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
