Two New York Police Department officers working near the residence of Craig Spencer, the doctor who was diagnosed with Ebola, were spotted Thursday dumping protective gloves and masks into a street corner garbage can -- prompting some alarm on social media.
Oh wow can it get anymore comical? Let's not dispose of our gloves & mask in a public street trash can! #Ebola #NYC pic.twitter.com/RPONnSjkWg— chillbop (@Whatbugsmetoday) October 24, 2014
Have they lost their minds? @MailOnline NYC cops on Ebola case toss gloves and masks in PUBLIC trash can http://t.co/xohMJe9teI #ebola #WTF— Steen Selvejer (@SSelvejer) October 24, 2014
But an NYPD spokeswoman dismissed the concerns, telling Mashable that the two officers were just on "a traffic post" and were not "inside of the residence or anything like that." Asked again whether they were ever inside Spencer's apartment, the spokeswoman responded: "Absolutely not."
Spencer, 33, tested positive for Ebola on Thursday, after returning from Guinea on Oct. 17, where he worked with Doctors Without Borders treating patients infected with the virus. The day before he reported to the hospital with Ebola-like symptoms, he traveled from his West Harlem apartment to a bowling alley in Williamsburg, Brooklyn -- but he wasn't showing symptoms at the time.
When Spencer detected he had a fever Thursday morning, he was rushed to Bellevue Hospital by specially trained medical personnel, officials said.
Ebola can spread only when an infected person is displaying symptoms, and only through direct contact with bodily fluids.
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