Church event at Durham hotel linked to coronavirus patients

The March 22 event at Millennium Hotel Durham was hosted by Faith Assembly Christian Center.

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Faith Assembly officials couldn't be reached Monday or Tuesday for comment. They didn't respond to questions posed on social media, and the church's phone wasn’t taking any messages.

Durham County health officials declined to provide details on how many people might have attended the event, how many were tested and how many positive tests came back.

Laura Betye, among a number of McDougald Terrace residents who have been living at the Millennium Hotel since January as repairs are made to their apartments to eliminate carbon monoxide problems, said she remembers the March 22 church event. She said she didn't attend it, but she did encounter some of the people who did when she got back to the hotel after shopping.

"We are out in so many places, I could have been exposed at any point," Betye said. "Am I going to be worried more than just being exposed generally? I don’t think so."

Hotel General Manager Ted VondenBenken declined to comment on the church gathering, citing privacy concerns.

"Millennium Hotels & Resort has in place infectious disease protocols that specifically are designed for responding to the novel coronavirus," VondenBenken said in a statement. "The welfare of our employees and guests is of the utmost importance to us, and we will continue to monitor the situation. Our robust response protocols, as well as our enhanced cleaning and disinfection procedures, allow us to continue to provide our guests with the high level of service that they have come to know and expect, and we look forward to continue serving them in a safe and hospitable environment."

The hotel posted a notice on its website on March 2 stating that hotel staff regularly cleans and sanitizes guest rooms and frequently cleans high-contact points, such as door handles, elevator buttons, reception counters, bathrooms and conference rooms.

"The hotel has always been very, very clean, and everybody is wearing gloves, and I have witnessed cleaning the counters, spraying it with Lysol and bleach," Betye said. "The hotel has always been immaculate."

Anyone who attended the Faith Assembly event between 9 a.m. and 1 p.m. March 22 and now has a fever, cough or shortness of breath is asked to call the Durham County Department of Public Health at 919-635-8150. Anyone who attended but isn't experiencing symptoms is asked to stay home and monitor symptoms until April 5.