The Gutter in Williamsburg Shuttered in Ebola Scare

With the first confirmed case of the deadly Ebola virus in New York City comes an unexpected casualty: bowling in Brooklyn. The Gutter, a wildly popular bowling and entertainment venue in Williamsburg has been closed until further notice as a result of a visit Wednesday by Dr. Craig Spencer, a Manhattan resident who returned last week from Guinea after treating Ebola patients.

Yesterday, Dr. Spencer was admitted to Bellevue hospital with symptoms consistent with the viral infection that has stirred fears throughout the world due to its deadly impact in West Africa, where an estimated 4,800 people have died.

A search is now underway for all persons Dr. Spencer came in contact with on Wednesday night, when he became stricken with the feverish symptoms consistent with the disease. Spencer, an emergency physician at New York-Presbyterian Hospital/Columbia University Medical Center, took the subway from Manhattan into Williamsburg for a night of bowling, then used Uber, the online taxi service, to return to his Upper West Side apartment.

Public officials are urging caution regarding this initial test of the City’s ability to combat an illness that by some estimates has claimed 50 percent of those stricken. According to the New York Times:

Mayor Bill de Blasio, speaking at a news conference at Bellevue on Thursday night, sought to reassure New Yorkers that there was no reason to be alarmed.

“Being on the same subway car or living near a person with Ebola does not in itself put someone at risk,” he said.

However there clearly is confusion regarding official responses to Dr. Spencer’s illness. Borough President Eric Adams scheduled, then subsequently postponed, a news conference with local elected officials for this morning which was to have taken place in front of The Gutter.

On Tuesday night at Brooklyn Borough Hall, Mr. Adams hosted a town hall presentation on Ebola and Enterovirus D68 where experts from the Brooklyn Hospital Center, Centers for Disease Control, Doctors Council SEIU, New York City Health and Hospitals Corporation, New York City Department of Mental Health and Hygiene and New York City Office of Emergency Management reassured the audience that New York City was prepared for the inevitable appearance of Ebola.

At Tuesday’s presentation, Dr. Eric Legome, Chief of Emergency Medicine, Kings County Medical Hospital, stressed that anyone who walks into an emergency room will likely not be infected enough to be a significant threat. Spencer’s case will test Dr. Legome’s belief as well as the response of the City’s medical establishment.

The Times reported that The Gutter, where a concert scheduled tonight for the CMJ music festival has now been canceled, will be visited today by health officials.