Despite Unfounded Ebola Threat, Elm City Residents Remained Calm

Update 4:45 p.m.: Preliminary test results came back negative for Ebola.

By Rich Scinto, Patch Editor

NEW HAVEN -- Cedar Street near Yale-New Haven Hospital was blocked off to traffic Thursday as nearly a dozen media trucks packed the area near the entrance to the hospital’s Bradley Conference Center.

This was clearly no ordinary day in the Elm City as the eyes of the nation were upon it, waiting to learn if there was a positive test for Ebola.

A number of New Haven police officers patrolled the street Thursday afternoon but despite that seemingly unsettling sight, residents went about their business, undeterred and seemingly unconcerned about the threat of a possible Ebola case just feet away.

Just hours earlier Thursday morning, men wearing hazmat suits entered the hospital, which is one of the largest in Connecticut, where a patient is voluntarily being quarantined for Ebola-like symptoms.

Pedestrians were out and about and lines at food carts outside the hospital were as busy as any other rainy day in New Haven.

Much of the area around the hospital in the Hill neighborhood is a mix of commercial and residential properties. The hospital’s tall building stands several stories higher than many other buildings in the area.

On a nice day the area is bustling with activity; doctors and nurses in medical attire are busy shuffling from one building to the next. At the same time, area residents are passing through and, on top of that, patients are coming in and out of the hospital’s many buildings.

Thursday’s dreary and rainy weather kept most people inside.

A few people on the street near the hospital said they didn’t want to discuss their thoughts on the situation and went about their way.

Inside the conference center, dozens of news reporters and photographers filled the room as city and hospital officials gathered for a press conference, to learn what was known and to pass it along.. Among the attendees was U.S. Rep. Rosa DeLauro, D-3.

“My thoughts and prayers are with the individual and family impacted by this unconfirmed Ebola case,” DeLauro said. “Later this afternoon we should receive preliminary test results from the Laboratory Response Network, which is supported by the CDC.”

She added that she was pleased with the response by hospital personnel and first responders.

Some Connecticut residents questioned the decision not to immediately bring back the Yale students who went to Liberia.

“These students aren’t properly trained in Ebola protocol and now they could’ve brought it back to our state,” said Stefanie Scaretta.

Part of the press conference was a tug-of-war between hospital officials and reporters. Reporters asked a number of times to confirm that the patient was a Yale student who recently came back from a trip to Liberia. Hospital officials declined to identify the patient, citing HIPPA laws.

However, Yale University officials said that the students weren’t in contact with anyone who experienced Ebola symptoms or any caregivers of Ebola patients.

City officials had previously met at the city’s Emergency Operations Center, which is a room located underground with the city’s Hall of Records building on Orange Street. The room is used as the base of operations for coordinating responses to natural disasters, harsh winter weather and anything else that can heavily impact the city.