Members of a Fairhope church who were quarantined in an Israeli hotel arrived back in the U.S. early Tuesday morning after testing negative for COVID-19, a church spokesman said Tuesday.
The 13 church members from 3Circle Church have chosen to complete a “medically-supervised quarantine,” wrote church spokesman Zach Adamson in a statement Tuesday.
“Our team is so grateful to be back in the United States, and wants to thank you for your concern and prayers. We also want to be intentional to communicate next steps,” Adamson said. “Continuing the precautionary measures begun in Palestine, Pastor Chris and team have chosen to complete a medically-supervised quarantine. None of the team will participate in any church activities this coming Sunday. They will be released from quarantine only under direct medical supervision.”
Adamson said in the statement that all 13 tested negative for COVID-19, and the tests were certified by both the Israeli and Palestinian authorities.
“We uphold the highest concern, not just for ourselves, but for the health and morale of our communities. Thank you for your tremendous support during this time,” Adamson wrote.
Members of the church had arrived at The Angel hotel in Bethlehem, Israel on March 3. The following day they learned that a previous visitor to the hotel had tested positive for the coronavirus.
At least 58 people have tested positive for the virus in Israel as of Tuesday, according to The Jerusalem Post
The World Health Organization on Monday put the known worldwide tally of COVID-19 infections at more than 100,000 and the death toll from the virus at 3,809.
There were at least 423 known COVID-19 cases in the U.S. as of Monday, according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which attributed 19 deaths to the virus.
