$1,500 Fine For 200-Person Milford House Party

MILFORD, MA — A Milford homeowner is facing $1,500 in fines for hosting a 200-person party over the weekend that violated state coronavirus health mandates, according to town officials.

The Milford Board of Health is issuing the three $500 citations after police broke up the party on Saturday night along Franklin Street. The fines cover violations of the state mask order, the limit on gatherings and social distancing regulations.

"During a pandemic, hosting and attending large gatherings threatens the public’s health and harms the community," said town Health Director Jacquelyn Murphy in a statement Wednesday. "The novel coronavirus, COVID-19, is a highly contagious virus, and potentially fatal for some persons. Events of this type have been traced to transmission of COVID-19 among attendees."

A neighbor called police around 10 p.m. Saturday to report about 100 people at the party not wearing masks. But when police arrived, they found scores more people.

Milford police Chief Michael Pighetti told Patch on Tuesday that police encountered issues of "great concern" at the party.

READ: Milford Police Disrupt Party With Hundreds Of People

Several recent large events have been traced to coronavirus outbreaks, including a bridal shower in Rhode Island connected to a coronavirus cluster in Massachusetts. About 53 of the 65 guests who attended a wedding in Maine earlier this month contracted the coronavirus, and at least one guest has died, according to reports.

Massachusetts is in part one of phase three of Gov. Charlie Baker's reopening plan. Baker declined to advance the state to part two at the beginning of August when data showed coronavirus trends rising across the state.

At a Tuesday press conference, he indicated the state would remain paused for the foreseeable future.

"I think we're going to pretty much stay where we are," he said.