Report: NYC Doctor With Ebola Initially Lied to Police About Activities
The doctor who has been diagnosed with Ebola in New York City reportedly lied to police about his whereabouts at the time of his diagnosis, authorities say.
The New York Post reports that when Dr. Craig Spencer first started showing Ebola symptoms last week, he initially lied to law enforcement about his activities, saying simply that he had self-quarantined himself in his apartment, located in Harlem.
Spencer's claims reportedly fell apart when police checked the doctor's Metrocard and credit card statements to find he had rode on multiple subways, gone out to eat at a restaurant and visited a bowling alley in Brooklyn with his friends.
The doctor also visited New York City's High Line Park and went jogging in the city before being rushed to Bellevue Hospital on October 23 exhibiting symptoms of nausea and fever.
"[Spencer] told the authorities that he self-quarantined. Detectives then reviewed his credit-card statement and MetroCard and found that he went over here, over there, up and down and all around," a source close to the NYPD told the New York Post.
The source added that Spencer finally admitted to his activity when a police officer "got on the phone and had to relay questions to him through the Health Department."
Three people, including Spencer's fiancé, have also been quarantined for 21 days so officials may monitor for symptoms.
New York Mayor Bill De Blasio said in a statement last week that New Yorkers have no reason to be alarmed by Spencer's sickness.
"We want to state at the outset that New Yorkers have no reason to be alarmed," De Blasio said. "New Yorkers who have not been exposed are not at all at risk."
