Posted on 07/29/2014 10:51:00 PM PDT by kristinn
The Obama administration is urging federal employees to stay home during the summit of African leaders being held in Washington, D.C. next week and to monitor local news for announcement of a possible “closing of the federal government” —ostensibly over traffic issues.
At the same time the administration said the federal government is taking no “additional precautions” to deal with the potential spread of the Ebola virus by those attending the summit.
In a twelve paragraph article on the summit of African leaders hosted by President Obama, the New York Times devotes five paragraphs to the issue of Ebola affecting the summit—an issue the Gateway Pundit has raised in several articles this week.
The Ebola death last week of Patrick Sawyer, a naturalized American citizen who was working for the government of his native Liberia raised worldwide fear as he was able to travel by passenger plane from Liberia to Nigeria with a layover in Togo on his way to an international conference without his condition being noted until he became seriously ill on approach to Lagos.
Leaders and government officials from Liberia as well as the other nations affected by Ebola—Guinea, Sierra Leone and Nigeria are expected to attend the D.C. summit.
From the Times:
“In an email to top officials at federal offices, the nation’s personnel chief urged agencies to let their workers stay at home during the event, which takes place next Tuesday and Wednesday. Traffic is also expected to be snarled on Monday and Thursday as the leaders arrive and leave.
““Agencies should consider encouraging employees who can be spared from their duties to request to adjust their work schedules,” Katherine Archuleta, the director of the Office of Personnel Management, wrote Friday in a memo.”
…”Ms. Archuleta wrote that for now the federal government would remain open Monday through Thursday next week, but she advised federal employees to monitor local news outlets for announcements about potential street closings, disruptions to public transportation or a closing of the federal government.”
…””We believe air travel continues to be safe, and the C.D.C. has stated there is no significant risk in the United States from the current Ebola outbreak,” Edward Price, a spokesman for the White House National Security Council, said in an email.”
…”A spokesman for the C.D.C. said procedures were already in place to stem the spread of Ebola, and flight crews and airline personnel will generally not allow a sick passenger to board a plane.
“The spokesman, Jason McDonald, said, “There are no plans or indications that we’re going to take any additional precautions with the leaders who are coming.””
The White House downplaying of the Ebola threat contradicted State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki who said Monday about the summit, “…we’re taking every precaution…”
State gatherings in our nation’s capital are highly orchestrated affairs and quite common. This event was announced by the White House in January. It is odd for the federal government to suddenly urge its employees to stay home during a normal work week and to be aware for a possible government shut down on short notice.
Of course, time off WITH PAY?
yes. Michelle would be clueless what to do with the spouses of all these African delegates, so she’s asked Laura to quarterback for her.
Naw, it just means that most federal employees exchange a lot of weird bodily fluids.
Just google ebola and choose images. They had safety goggles, complete gowns, gloves, masks.
The last time I saw that much PPE was during the dioxin clean up work in Times Beach, Missouri.
They are complete idiots for not cancelling this summit. Just unbelieveable...one mistake after another.
That plane had to be loaded with it. It can live for several days in dried material.
This is an incredible disaster in the making - I cannot see anything but divine intervention stopping this from getting out of Africa.
The plot thickens...
Especially not on a dark and stormy night...
Well there goes the dang plot.............. :)
This little soiree should be cancelled. Ebola incubation period may be up to 21 days. May be viable in male sperm for 3 weeks as well. Sounds like a great time in store for us all.
“Outbreak,” is a medical thriller written by Dr. Robin Cook and published in 1987 which deals with an outbreak of the deadly Ebola virus in the United States.
“The Hot Zone”: A Terrifying True Story is a best-selling 1994 non-fiction thriller by Richard Preston about the origins and incidents involving viral hemorrhagic fevers, particularly ebola viruses and Marburg viruses. The basis of the book was Preston’s 1992 New Yorker article “Crisis in the Hot Zone”.
Have you seen the new series. The Last Ship?
I don't think Ebola spreads by sneezing. It is typically spread by contact with bodily fluids. So if a person with Ebola vomits and droplets get on you--or you touch the droplets on bathroom surfaces--you are at risk.
It became airborne only in the sense that the Liberian-American victim was flying in an airplane when he became symptomatic.
This particular Ebola is not as deadly as other strains. It is only 60% fatal... Ebola can be 90% fatal.
In the event that Ebola becomes more easily transmissible, its fatality will probably drop. (Lethality and transmissibility have an inverse relationship.) One species of Ebola, Ebola Reston, may be transmitted through the air, but it is not known to cause symptomatic disease in humans. It has been found in pigs and monkeys.
If you look closely at the images, many of those who seem to have complete PPE actually have exposed patches of skin. Look around the goggles and surgical masks and around the feet. I have seen bare foreheads, necks, and ankles.
Laboratory workers who research Ebola wear space suits with air supplied through hoses.
The last time I saw that much PPE was during the dioxin clean up work in Times Beach, Missouri.
That's funny. They probably wore all of that because they were kicking up lots of dust. When I researched dioxin as a graduate student, I wore only a lab coat and gloves when I handled dioxin.
Once, a student dropped a plate of dioxin-treated cells on the floor. As per university regulation, our lab manager called the campus EHS office and was told, "You are the experts on dioxin. You clean it up!" (Um... okay.)
Try up to 61 days. Survivors should probably avoid intimate relations until they can be tested free of virus in all bodily fluids.
“or a closing of the federal government.”
Link to actual memo?
Actual memo: http://www.chcoc.gov/transmittals/TransmittalDetails.aspx?TransmittalID=6252
Odd, the “closing of the federal government” line isn’t quite the same now...
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