Sheraton Atlanta will remain closed until Aug. 11, managers say
ATLANTA (FOX 5 Atlanta) - Mangers at the Sheraton Atlanta hotel in downtown Atlanta said Friday their doors will remain closed for about three weeks. This after several people who stayed at the hotel contracted confirmed cases of Legionnaires' disease, health officials revealed earlier this week.
Three confirmed cases were reported Monday with the number rising to six by Wednesday, health officials reported. The common link is they all stayed at the hotel. This prompted hotel managers to immediately relocate more than 450 guests and rebook future reservations.
Manager have since said the hotel will be closed to guests until August 11. Anyone with a reservation will be booked into another nearby hotel.
RELATED: Health officials: 6th Legionnaires' disease case confirmed after stay at Atlanta hotel
State and county health officials took a number of samples from various places throughout the hotel this week to try to determine if the hotel is indeed the source. So far, no tests have come back with a definitive source.
Legionnaires' can cause flu-like symptoms, but unlike influenza, it can be treated with antibiotics. The most common way to contract the disease is using a pool, hot tub, air conditioner, mist sprayer, or even the water supply itself.
Health officials, this week, praised the hotel’s swift action.
Meanwhile, members of Dragon Con, the largest multimedia pop-culture convention in the United States which draws about 80,000 visitors annually to Atlanta’s hotel district were taking the news in stride. The hotel serves as the registration point for members and one of the five host hotels.
On social media sites dedicated to Dragon Con, most members put faith the hotel would fully resolve the issue before Labor Day weekend event. Some Dragon Con fans, who are known for paying unlikely and outlandish homages to their host hotels, have announced plans to integrate the news into their celebrations.