'We're ready to go home' -church group quarantined in West Bank

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SOUNDBITE (English): LEAD PASTOR OF THE 3CIRCLE CHURCH IN FAIRHOPE WHO IS UNDER QUARANTINE AT BETHLEHEM HOTEL, CHRIS BELL, SAYING:

"We're scared and concerned and we miss our families and we are ready to go home."

A group of Americans suspected of being exposed to coronavirus during a trip to the Holy Land are in quarantine in a hotel near Bethlehem and are coordinating with U.S. and Palestinian authorities to try to get home.

Angel Thrash is one of them and recorded this video Saturday from inside the hotel.

SOUNDBITE (ENGLISH): AMERICAN CITIZEN QUARANTINED IN WEST BANK HOTEL, ANGEL THRASH, SAYING:

"About four days ago we heard that there may be a possible coronavirus outbreak at the hotel. And so we were asked to come back to the hotel for testing. We've been at the hotel ever since. We were actually just tested last night so now we are awaiting our results. Our whole team is feeling really hopeful."

Security forces wearing face masks were seen securing the perimeter of the Angel Hotel on Saturday (March 7) with an ambulance parked up nearby.

An official from the U.S. embassy in Jerusalem said it was aware of the reports of the group in quarantine but had no further details to share due to privacy concerns.

Chris Bell is also part of that American group of tourists at the hotel.

They were in Bethlehem as part of a religious pilgrimage, which Bell, who is lead pastor of the 3Circle Church in Fairhope, said was supposed to be the trip of a lifetime...but that changed when they were told their hotel had played host to a tourist from Greece, who went home and was diagnosed with the coronavirus.

Now instead of touring the city, Bell and the others are stuck inside the hotel, hoping for the best.

SOUNDBITE (English): LEAD PASTOR OF THE 3CIRCLE CHURCH IN FAIRHOPE WHO IS UNDER QUARANTINE AT BETHLEHEM HOTEL, CHRIS BELL, SAYING:

"We are on the second floor of the hotel and there is no one else on this floor with us. So we are here and we are self quarantining so what we do is when we're in our rooms, we hang out in our rooms but when we come out to the hallway to talk we keep a distance you know, we are following all the guidelines, we wear gloves and you see this mask here, if I walk out of my room I will be wearing the mask but we don't go on other floors, we stay here on this floor and we try to do everything we can you know, washing our hands and all of those things."

Everyone has been tested and now they simply have to wait.

SOUNDBITE (English): AMERICAN CITIZEN QUARANTINED IN WEST BANK HOTEL, ANGEL THRASH, SAYING:

"Right now, our goal is really just to learn our test results, figure out our next steps from there. Of course, we are hopeful to be able to return to the U.S. very soon."

The Palestinian Authority has declared a state of emergency in the Palestinian territories after more than a dozen cases of the virus were confirmed in Bethlehem.

With the West Bank effectively shut down - tourist attractions, including the Church of the Nativity, believed to be the birthplace of Jesus, have been closed and foreign tourist reservations have been canceled.