As Ebola hits, New Yorkers maintain wary calm

News of New York's first case of Ebola was met with worry and even anger on Friday, but for this city of eight million residents, seasoned by everything from terror attacks to superstorms, there was little sign of panic.

Dr. Craig Spencer, 33, who treated Ebola patients in West Africa, was moved with elaborate precautions from his Harlem apartment to Bellevue Hospital in Manhattan with a fever and tested positive for Ebola on Thursday, sparking concern about the spread of the disease in the country's most populous city.

Despite reassurances from New York Mayor Bill de Blasio and Governor Andrew Cuomo that it was perfectly safe to use the city's vast subway system, New Yorkers riding the trains were uneasy on Friday. Spencer had ridden the subway, eaten out, taken a cab and gone bowling in Brooklyn since returning from Guinea a week ago but before showing symptoms.

"I am worried. It feels as if doctors' arrogance has put us all in danger. Why wouldn't you make sure it was safe before you started running round the city," said Amelia Fowler, 38, an actor waiting at a bus stop in Brooklyn on Friday.

After taking his own temperature twice a day since his return, Spencer reported running a fever and experiencing gastrointestinal symptoms for the first time early on Thursday. He was not feeling sick and would not have been contagious before Thursday morning, the city's Health Commissioner Mary Travis Bassett said.

Owners of the bowling alley he visited said they had voluntarily closed it for the day as a precaution, but the health department said it had given the site a clean bill of health after testing. Officials also gave the all clear to one of the eateries he visited, and were assessing the second.

The driver of the ride-sharing taxi Spencer took was not considered to be at risk, and officials insisted the three subway lines he rode before falling ill remained safe.

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority said it had not removed any trains from service but had updated some of its health protocols including issuing gloves and disinfectant to deal with any potentially infectious waste. Seeking to reassure New Yorkers, De Blasio rode the subway Friday morning, chatting with passengers.

Still, many expressed worry and frustration on their way to work, fretting about using a mass transit system that for many is the only form of daily transport.

"I ride the train to work - I have to," said Ruth Bowtle, 48, a paralegal from Staten Island. "But I am trying not to hold onto the hand rail. You try not to breathe."

Some medical supply stores, including Chelsea Mobility and Medical Equipment in Manhattan, were stocking up on masks, thermometers and hand sanitizers in anticipation of a run on the goods by the public, similar to the response seen during the bird flu epidemic in 2009.

Heightened security was in place at Bellevue Hospital where Spencer was being treated, with police officers and metal gates keeping a large crowd of reporters and television crews at bay.

Some patients and visiting relatives brushed off the idea of Spencer representing a threat. Teresa Jurado, however, said she dreaded going inside the hospital where she had an appointment to treat a chronic stomach illness.

"I'm in a state of psychosis," the retired 80-year-old Queens resident said. "For one person, we're all going to fall sick."

But for all the bluster, many New Yorkers went about their business on Friday, largely unfazed. The major subway stations were busy. Commuters clutching newspapers declaring Ebola's arrival piled onto packed subway trains and buses, much like any other morning.

The U.S. stock market rose on Friday, recovering the losses suffered on news on Thursday afternoon that Spencer had been taken to hospital, as strong earnings outweighed any fear of the virus spreading.

Some residents said they were far more concerned about flu than Ebola. Others displayed total indifference.

"There is not really a chance of it spreading," said Omar Abdul, 58, a taxi driver slouched in his cab in Park Slope, Brooklyn. "It is not like everyone who gets into my cab has come from Africa."