Durham retirement community quarantined for norovirus outbreak

Croasdaile Village Retirement Community Executive Director Howard DeWitt said that staff first noticed the outbreak Thursday morning when multiple residents started exhibiting the same symptoms. None of the victims appear to have a life-threatening illness, he said.

Dewitt said that the Durham Health Department was called in and set up a quarantine, effective until Feb. 28.

Access to the community is being restricted, and the staff is trying keep residents separated, he said. Communal activities such as meals and worship have been curtailed. A 24-hour emergency command center has been set up in the administrative building.

The origin of the virus hasn't been determined, DeWitt said.

Dewitt said Croasdaile Village hasn't seen an incident like this in the 11 years it has been open. The retirement community has approximately 630 residents and and 300 employees. It offers individual-living, assisted-living and skilled-nursing facilities.

The norovirus is a gastrointestinal disease that often breaks out in closed communities such as hospitals and cruise ships.