coronavirus pandemic

Boston Marriott Long Wharf Hotel, Linked to Early Coronavirus Cluster, Reopens

The hotel was closed in mid-March after dozens of people who attended a Biogen conference contracted the coronavirus

David L. Ryan/The Boston Globe via Getty Images

The Boston hotel that was linked to a coronavirus outbreak after it hosted a local biotech company's conference earlier this year has reopened.

Boston Marriott Long Wharf began welcoming guests back to the hotel Tuesday, a company representative said.

"We are following public health authorities' guidelines, and are undertaking enhanced cleaning protocols and operational steps within the hotel. The wellbeing of our guests and associates is always of paramount importance," read a statement from the Marriott.

Officials say that the woman who flew to China despite having COVID-19 symptoms faces charges.

The hotel was shut down in mid-March in consultation with the Boston Public Health Commission after a Biogen conference held there on Feb. 26 and 27.

Dozens of coronavirus cases in Massachusetts have been linked to the meeting -- at one point accounting for more than half of all coronavirus cases in the state, health officials have said. An additional 12 people tested positive for the virus outside Massachusetts were also linked to the meeting, including residents in North Carolina, Indiana, New Jersey, Tennessee and Washington, D.C., as well as in Europe.

It was one of the first major coronavirus clusters tracked in Massachusetts, and the Cambridge-based company later committed $10 million to COVID-19 relief.

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