Since the first case of the Ebola virus in New York City was reported on Thursday, state, local and city officials have been scrambling to help contain the spread — and ease the fears — of the deadly disease.
7:01 P.M. Ebola Patient’s Condition Worsens
Dr. Craig Spencer’s condition had deteriorated by Saturday evening, though he remained awake and communicative, health officials said.
A spokeswoman for the city’s public hospital system said in a statement that Dr. Spencer, 33, was experiencing gastrointestinal symptoms, which indicated he had entered “the next and more serious phase of his illness.”
The statement was careful not to convey any pessimism, and experts say that patients undergoing treatment can worsen before they recover.
In a brief telephone interview with The Times from his room at Bellevue, Dr. Spencer said simply, “I’m still undergoing treatment.”
Dr. Spencer has been in isolation at Bellevue Hospital Center since Thursday, when he reported a 100.3 degree fever. Here is the timeline of his illness that was released by the city.
6:34 P.M. Ebola Patient’s Fiancée Returns Home
Dr. Craig Spencer’s fiancée, Morgan Dixon, arrived at her home on West 147th Street shortly after 6:30 p.m. on Saturday.
Ms. Dixon, 30, had been at Bellevue Hospital Center since Thursday.
Two unmarked police cars escorted a sedan in which Ms. Dixon was riding to the building and three people led her inside. They were not wearing protective gear.
Ms. Dixon was one of three people quarantined because they had had close contact with Dr. Spencer, who tested positive for Ebola on Thursday. The other two people are Dr. Spencer’s friends.
Earlier on Saturday, the mayor told reporters that all three patients were not showing symptoms of the virus.
Ms. Dixon will remain under quarantine at her home through Nov. 14, officials said.
4:56 P.M. Cuomo Responds to the Quarantined Nurse
Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo dismissed the criticism of a nurse who was quarantined at a New Jersey hospital after working with Ebola patients in Sierra Leone.
The nurse, Kaci Hickox, complained about her treatment in an essay published on the website of The Dallas Morning News on Saturday.
Ms. Hickox characterized the quarantine as an overreaction, after an initial test found that she did not have Ebola. “I am scared about how health care workers will be treated at airports when they declare that they have been fighting Ebola in West Africa,” she wrote.
4:51 P.M. Meet the “Reassurer in Chief”
On Saturday, The Times published a profile of Dr. Mary Travis Bassett, the city’s health commissioner. Just nine months into her biggest job yet, Dr. Bassett had to announce the arrival of Ebola in New York City on Thursday.
Her message: The average New Yorker has nothing to fear from the virus.
3:39 P.M. What Can You Do? Get a Flu Shot
The mayor urged New Yorkers to get flu shots to help reduce the number of false alarms as the city copes with Ebola:
3:29 P.M. Advice From Cuomo: ‘Go About Your Business’
A day after announcing the new Ebola policy, Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo continued to campaign in Queens.
After a rally in Long Island City, Governor Cuomo was asked whether he was playing to people’s worst fears as the election approached.
This drew an unhappy response: “I said the exact opposite,” he said. “I took the subway yesterday to say, take the subway, it’s safe. I said there’s nothing to worry about. Go about your business. I’m going about my business today. Right? I’ve said it 11 times.”
He also said that officials had not discussed the possibility of travelers facing criminal charges if they refused to be quarantined.
— THOMAS KAPLAN
3:19 P.M. Ebola Patient’s Close Contacts Showing No Symptoms
The mayor offered an update on the status of Dr. Spencer’s three close contacts.
3:08 P.M. De Blasio Defends Ebola Patient’s Behavior
“We’re having a meatball experience,” Mayor de Blasio said as he ate at the Meatball Shop with his wife and the city’s health commissioner.
After they ate, the mayor and the health commissioner Dr. Mary T. Bassett answered questions outside.
The mayor defended Dr. Craig Spencer’s behavior, despite Mr. Cuomo’s suggestion on Friday that he had failed to follow guidelines.
“Here is a doctor who volunteered to go into the medical equivalent of a war zone,” Mr. de Blasio said.
Dr. Bassett said that Dr. Spencer received antiviral drugs on his second day of hospitalization.
(There is also a plan in place for the administration of plasma, she said.)
Asked about Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo and Gov. Chris Christie’s announcement of new quarantine provisions on Friday, the mayor said he was not consulted.
“There is inherent flexibility built into the approach,” he said of the governors’ plan, without directly answering a question about whether he supports it.
He said that “it’s a fair concern” as to whether the quarantine plan will have a chilling effect on healthcare workers volunteering.
— MATT FLEGENHEIMER
2:34 P.M. The Mayor Repeats: Ebola Is Not Airborne
Mayor Bill de Blasio sought to soothe concerns over the presence of Ebola in the city by visiting the restaurant where Dr. Craig Spencer said he ate and offering “a reminder about some core truths about Ebola.”
“It cannot be contracted through casual contact. It is not an airborne disease,” he said, adding, “We’ve got to keep making clear to people, this is not the common cold, this is not the flu.”
— MATT FLEGENHEIMER
1:51 P.M. De Blasio Arrives at the Meatball Shop
At around 1:45 p.m., Mayor Bill de Blasio strolled into the Meatball Shop with his wife, Chirlane McCray; the city’s health commissioner, Dr. Mary T. Bassett; and a group of aides, to meet with the restaurant’s owner and grab a bite.
Despite the crush of cameras, the establishment’s outdoor lunch crowd appeared unbothered: Many looked up briefly from their plates, before resuming their meals. The restaurant closed on Friday afternoon but reopened on Friday night at 6 p.m.
On Friday, a spokesman for the restaurant told The Times that the health department had assured the owners that Dr. Spencer’s visit posed no health risk, but that it had closed voluntarily, just to be safe.
— MATT FLEGENHEIMER
1:31 P.M. All Quiet at the Meatball Shop
1:28 P.M. De Blasio Dispels Rumors About Bellevue
The mayor reassured the public that Bellevue Hospital Center was properly staffed.
12:18 P.M. The White House Speaks on Ebola
On Saturday, the president’s weekly address was about Ebola.
11:49 A.M. The Mayor and the Meatball Shop
In New York City, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced that on Saturday he would visit the Meatball Shop in the West Village, where Dr. Craig Spencer, the Ebola patient in New York, said he ate earlier this week.
Additionally on Saturday, disease investigators continued their search for anyone who had come into contact with Dr. Spencer.
11:26 A.M. Nurse Tests Negative
Under the new order, a nurse who had recently worked with Ebola patients in West Africa was placed under quarantine shortly after she landed in Newark on Friday. She has tested negative for the Ebola virus, New Jersey officials said on Saturday.
11:21 A.M. New Policies for Newark and J.F.K.
According to a new policy announced late Friday afternoon by Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo of New York and Gov. Chris Christie of New Jersey, all people entering the country through Newark Liberty and Kennedy International Airports will be quarantined if they had direct contact with Ebola patients in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone.