NYC cops leave Ebola doctor’s apartment and dump their protective gloves and masks in a sidewalk trash can

Daily Mail – by Chris Spargo

With the news that the first confirmed case of Ebola has hit New York City, all attention now turns to how equipped the densely populated metropolis is to deal with the deadly virus – and if the city really is as prepared as they claimed to be in a press conference Thursday evening.

Perhaps throwing things into doubt are photos taken outside the Harlem apartment of Dr. Craig Spencer, who was admitted to the hospital with a 103 degree fever earlier today. They show police officers tossing their gloves, masks and the caution tape used to block off access to his apartment in a public trash can.  

Is that really the best place to be putting all of that?

The photos and video, all shot before Spencer’s Ebola was actually confirmed, do not show whether these officers actually entered his building.

However, some are suggesting that for the sake of safety – not to mention public sanity – it would have made sense to discard of these masks and gloves and tape in a biohazard bag.

Or, at the very least, a trash can not located on a busy city sidewalk.

Spencer, whose case was confirmed Thursday evening, had been in Guinea this past September with Doctors With Borders, helping to treat patients infected with the virus.

He returned a week ago, and did not show any symptoms of the disease until this morning, this after he spent last night on the NYC subway, bowling at a popular Brooklyn hotspot and spending some time at the heavily trafficked High Line in the city’s West Village.

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio reminded the public in his press conference tonight that, ‘Ebola is an extremely difficult disease to get,’ then adding that, ‘Every hospital in the city is prepared in the event other patients come forward.’

Next up was New York state Governor Andrew Cuomo, who revealed that four people were considered potentially exposed to Dr. Spencer ‘during the relevant period.’

It was then reiterated that Bellevue, the New York City hospital where the patient was admitted, is more than prepared to deal with Ebola.

There was no word however during the press conference as to how prepared police officers were to deal with the deadly virus.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2805930/Should-Officers-marking-Ebola-patient-s-NYC-apartment-toss-gloves-masks-caution-tape-PUBLIC-trash-city-sidewalk-leave.html