After an NYC resident, Dr. Craig Spencer, was diagnosed with the Ebola virus last Thursday, state and city leaders have stepped up their insistence on mandatory quarantines to the chagrin of federal authorities.
Governor Cuomo of New York and Governor Christie of New Jersey have both instituted a mandatory 21-day quarantine for health care workers returning from West Africa and have stated that any person returning from affected areas will be treated on a case-by-case basis. Governor Cuomo announced on Sunday that they will allow for the quarantine to take place at the resident’s home, with state workers visiting twice-a-day to monitor the individual’s condition.
The decision has not pleased the White House, and federal authorities who have expressed concerns that it will discourage workers from volunteering to help in the areas hurt most by the deadly virus.
Mayor Bill de Blasio voiced support for the quarantines and scolded New Yorkers over reports that nurses and workers at Bellevue Hospital, where potential victims are being taken, have been treated poorly when off duty. He said that there have been instances of restaurants refusing to serve workers food and Bellevue staff having their children treated differently than usual. “That is absolutely unacceptable,” de Blasio said at a conference after visiting the isolation unit where Dr. Spencer remains in serious but stable condition.
New Yorkers who have fears of coming into contact with the virus in their day-to-day lives would do best to heed the advice of NY1 political anchor Errol Lewis:
If you came across some strange mucus or feces or something out there on the street, on the subway, or anywhere else, don’t eat it.
So there you have it. No matter how tempting, don’t eat strange poop!
(Photo: Wikipedia)
