A Maine island that once served as a quarantine site during the Spanish Flu is being marketed as a refuge from the coronavirus for a cool $250,000 a week. Plus expenses.

Portland entrepreneur Noah Gordon planned to host high-end weddings on the 12 acres he purchased for $4.5 million on House Island. Now he’s marketing it as a coronavirus virus-free safety zone.

House Island sits just offshore between South Portland and Peaks Island. And it’s a quick helicopter ride from the mainland. Staff at the island will follow health protocols ensuring a “safe haven bubble of privacy, safety and security where guests can socialize, party and play,” according to promotional materials.

“It’s not that safety is the new luxury. Safety is luxury,” Gordon said.

The island was the site of the city’s inspection and quarantine station between 1907 and 1937.


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