A 33-year-old doctor who worked for Doctors With Borders and recently returned from Guinea has been rushed to Bellevue Hospital with a suspected case of Ebola. It’s also been reported that the man, Dr. Craig Spencer, took Uber car service to a bowling alley in Williamsburg, Brooklyn.
There are two bowling alleys in Williamsburg, Brooklyn Bowl and The Gutter. A man who answered at Brooklyn Bowl shortly after 4:30PM on Thursday was asked if he had fielded calls about Ebola.
“Ebola? I know what Ebola is,” he said.
Then he added that this was the first anyone had contacted the bar about possible exposure to Ebola.
“We’re open tonight,” he said.
Multiple calls to the Gutter went unanswered, with just an automated message on its machine. Uber did not return a request for comment.
UPDATE 2: ANIMAL’s Aymann Ismail is at the The Gutter and says it still hasn’t opened and that “there’s press here, but no one in hazmats.” They usually open at 5PM. According to Mashable reporter Kari Paul, A CMJ event at the venue has been cancelled:
CMJ showcase at Williamsburg bowling alley @thegutter has been cancelled due to “unforeseen circumstances,” source says. No Ebola mention.
— Kari Paul (@kari_paul) October 23, 2014
UPDATE 3: Doctor has tested positive for Ebola.
UPDATE 4: With regard to The Gutter:
Bellevue doctor confirms it was The Gutter and he did bowl with friends. #ebola
— ANIMALNewYork (@ANIMALNewYork) October 24, 2014
"Out of caution, the bowling alley closed," says Bellevue doctor. They are sending a team there tomorrow. #ebola
— ANIMALNewYork (@ANIMALNewYork) October 24, 2014
UPDATE 5: Statement from Uber below.
We reviewed our records and were able to confirm that one of our driver partners in New York provided a ride to the patient yesterday evening. We immediately contacted the CDC and NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (NYC DOHMH), which stated that neither our driver partner nor any of his subsequent passengers are at risk. We have communicated this to the driver, and the NYC DOHMH medical team met with the driver in person, assuring him that he is not at risk. Our thoughts are with the patient and his loved ones.
(Photo: Wikipedia Photoshop: Rhett Jones/ ANIMAL New York)
